Welcome to Mass Effect
by Marcus Redfeild
Summary: So can someone tell me how an 18 year old can get—literally—dropped into his most beloved game franchise? No? *sigh* Well, great. I guess there's only one way for me to find out then...I hope I don't get killed. *Self Insert. Rated T for language
1. Prologue

**A/N : Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by for this, it means a lot that you would even open this up :) I just want to say a few things before you continue…**

 **Okay, so this isn't my first story, but I haven't written anything in a REALLY long time, so I apologize if my writing is, erm...distasteful? Anyway, I have been wanting to start this for about three years now, I just never did because I was always busy with school and everything.**

 **I'm honestly not expecting this to be as big a hit as Masses to Masses, Welcome to the Family, and or Mass Vexations. Because (in my opinion) they're definitely the greatest of all the Mass Effect SI's around. I take heavy inspiration from them as writers and if you haven't already read their stuff, I think you should give it a looksie :)**

 **And time for the Disclaimer: I do NOT own Mass Effect (including any characters/plotlines), the smarties at Bioware do. Oh and I also do NOT own anything famous related to the real world for that matter...**

 **Now then, this is going to be a bumpy ride...**

* * *

Chapter 1: Just...Why?

"Dude, I'm telling you!" my friend Tyler yells into his mic, "this is _exactly_ what the kid looked like!"

I open the link he posted in the Skype chat, Michael (my other friend) does the same. Oh dear god...You know Tyler is a little shit when he compares some pudgy kid with Jabba the Hutt. Fortunately for him, however, I have a varied sense of humor. Unable to hold it back, Michael and I start to laugh, "You're an ass dude," I say in between breaths, "one of these days, someone's gonna roast you for looking like a chipmunk and you're not gonna like it."

Tyler lets out a screeching laugh, "I don't give a fuck dude! They can roast me all they want, it doesn't matter to me."

"Yeah, but you gotta big ass mouth Tyler," Michael adds, putting his two cents in, "in a Skype call it's fine, but you say this shit out loud in public, dawg. It's gonna get you into trouble one day."

"Pfft, I know, I know, you keep saying that." He drifts off for a second and then continues, "But name one time where it's gotten me into trouble so far. ONE!"

'Yo, how does this kid not remember?' I mentally ask myself, "Okay, how about the time we were leaving Walmart? That one guy and his girlfriend were trying to sell us entertainment systems from the back of their car, remember?"

"Hey, that man just didn't know how to take a joke," he explains, "and besides that whole thing sounded suspicious as hell, and don't you say it didn't!"

Well yeah, of course it did. I mean the guy was driving on the wrong side of the parking lot to talk to us, and was offering to sell us entertainment systems he got from his "job", even willing to drive us over to an ATM if needed. It doesn't exactly spell "trustworthy" to me you know? When Michael and I walked off, Tyler said something he shouldn't have, and the man jumped out of his car and blew smoke into his face. He said a few threats and then got back into his car. It was pretty funny afterwards, but it could have gone a lot worse…

"Yeah, but still dude," Michael replies, "you could have gotten your ass kicked there, that guy was crazy."

"Okay, you're right, sorry." There's a bit of a silence before he continues, "Hey so uh, Marcus, when are you going to get better at Counter Strike?"

Way to change the subject you ass. I chuckle, "What are you talking about? I'm pretty good."

Michael speaks up now, "No you're not, you're garbage bro! you need to work on controlling your spray."

I hear Tyler silently add, 'see? Even Mike agrees.'

I never thought I was that bad, I only seem to do horrible when I'm playing with them. But then again their ranks are much higher than mine…"Hey, I'm a Nova 3, that's not too bad."

"Well, yeah, because I carry you half the time." Michael says, ruining my self esteem.

"Ah, screw you guys! I prefer playing story games anyway…" It's true, I find more enjoyment in a story based game then I do with actual combat. I mean, hell, I'd play the game Catherine over Call of Duty any day!

"Mmhmm, you suck, okay." Tyler finally says. Such scum, my friends... "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep, I'll catch ya'll boys tomorrow."

"Yeah, same here," Michael says, "Goodnight guys."

And with that I'm left alone now...I get up from my computer chair and stretch my muscles that have been doing nothing for the past couple of hours, letting out a soft screeching noise as my back cracks. And yes, I'm one of those people who do that when they stretch; I think I caught it from my cousin truthfully...I walk over to my bathroom and start brushing my teeth. Once that's done, I put on my retainer. It's annoying to have to put on all the time, but I definitely prefer it over braces.

I exit the bathroom and walk back into my room. I start heading over to the bed, but the realisation dawns on me that I'm not actually all that tired…

With that, I plop myself down on my chair and begin browsing my subscription list on youtube. Hmm, the Jaws of Hakkon just came out on everything else? It's about time, maybe now my cousin can stop complaining about how I've already played it and he hasn't…

I continue to scroll down until my screen suddenly turns pitch black and my computer stops making noise. Ah shit! What the hell happened? It couldn't have turned off, it didn't give me any warning messages and there's no way it overheated...Maybe there's something wrong with the power outside itself? I shrug at thinking of the possibilities. Well I guess now I can force myself to get some sleep I guess.

Just before I start to get up, I suddenly jump and let out a yelp when I feel two hands grip my arms from behind me.

Um...I'm alone right now...

I'm about to turn my head to see who it is, but I close my eyes. Do I really want to see who it is? My family is asleep right now, so there's no way this is some practical joke by my sister.

I hear a small giggle, as if from a child. OKAY, this has gotten _much_ creepier! Wait, that's weird...I don't feel the hands anymore. Come to think of it, I'm not even sitting down anymore. I don't feel anything. Should I open my eyes now?

I start to feel a big rush of wind pushing against my body. As if I were standing in front of a big fan. Actually, it feels more like…

…

HOLY SHIT! I'M FALLING! Oh my god! What in the fucking world of fuck? Why am I falling? I start to tear up but the sheer force of the wind as I fall blows them away. Oh my god, is this how I'm going to die? By one of my worst fears possible? Oh god, it's because I didn't go to church last Sunday isn't it!?

" _hee hee."_ A voice giggles

"GOD!?" I shout while in the air.

I don't have time to hear what it says as I'm now about to hit the ground. I shut my eyes for the upcoming impact. Oh fuck, okay, this really sucks!

…

Ten seconds pass. Still no splat...Then again, I don't think you're supposed to hear a splat are you? So what happens then? I slowly open my eyes and realize I'm not falling anymore. In fact, I'm floating...It's short lived however for I am abruptly dropped on my ass. Ah shit, it feels like I landed on solid metal rather than the grass I was seeing on the way down. A feeling that I just got punched in the gut settles and I heave on the spot next to me. God, I hate heights…

I wipe the bile from my mouth and put my hands on the floor under me, and as it turns out what I'm standing on _is_ metal. But that doesn't make any sense. Why was I falling Hundreds of feet in the air, and now I'm on the ground? Hold on, better question is: Why am I not standing in my room right now? I'm outside.

Wait a minute! Even better question! I look up above where I fell. 'Why is the sky red…?' I move around a couple of boxes from where I landed and then down a ramp. All of this looks strangely similar. Suddenly, a loud cry, echoes throughout every nerve in my body, almost as if it's in my head itself. My hands by themselves immediately clutch my head and cover my ears. Agh, what in the hell is that!? I look up and see something all too familiar strike fear into me as it comes crashing down through the clouds.

It's...No. It can't be...but...it is.

That's a Reaper! And judging by the red sky, I'm on Eden Prime! So that means...I'm dreaming that I'm in Mass Effect. Yep, now it all makes sense! This isn't real! I can just close my eyes and come to this conclusion. Then, when I open them, I will be—

I open my eyes, "Still on Eden Prime." I finish out loud.

"What the hell is that?" A voice behind me says, but I don't look. Honestly I'm too shocked at what's happening right now. I mean wouldn't you?

"I think it's some kind of ship," another voice says, this one sounded like a female. "I have never seen a ship that big before.

A small swarm of ships come flying out of the Reaper, and from the look of it, they're Geth ships...So that Reaper is Sovereign, and that means it's my cue to high tail it on outta here! But for some reason, my body just won't move! The Geth ships keep getting closer and closer and soon enough they fly over above me and Geth troopers start dropping down from them with some other equipment.

The blood curdling cry from the crowd around me (something I just noticed) breaks me from my frozen state as the first bullets start to fly. Oh shit, they've opened fire! God, I'm so screwed! I duck down and start crouch running toward a rock. Once I reach it, I use it for cover as I witness the slaughter of all the people in the middle of the chaos. This isn't a dream, it's a nightmare! Some of them are managing to get away, others are using what I can only guess to be farming equipment and trying to fight back with it, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. Poor bastards…

One woman seems to stand out in particular. The Geth that aren't shooting at people are setting up dragons teeth in the back. Taking their time as if the slaughtering of all these colonists don't matter, it's rather sickening. I was all for equality with synthetics back when I was playing the games, but as I'm watching this, I honestly don't know what I was thinking. The woman gets caught by a Geth trooper and is pulled onto an already assembled dragons tooth. Oh no, is what I think is going to happen about to happen? As if in a millisecond of the spear pushing up, I turn my head to shield myself from the horror. This is not what I remember playing in the game...!

"Hey, Kid!" I turn to the direction of the person shouting, and as it turns out he's shouting to me, "Over here! Quick!"

Not wasting a moment to even think about it, I run as fast as I can towards the guy and he leads me to a shed with two other people. At least it looks like a shed, I mean it's the future for crying out loud! I put my hands on my knees as I struggle to catch my breath. The door closes after the guy enters.

"Hurry, lock it before those things get to us!" One person says. The girl behind him nods acknowledging his words. Are these people serious?

"There are still...people...out there," I say still trying to get my heart rate back to normal, "you just wanna leave them out there to die?"

"Fuck 'em! It's safe in here, too many people will draw attention to ourselves."

I look to the one who led me here and he gives me a concerned look, "I'm sorry, but the man is right. We need to save ourselves." As he finishes saying this, the green panel next to the door turns red.

I'm about to say something but I just groan and put my back against the wall. As much as it sucks, I'm no fighter. Even if I wanted to go and help fight, what am I going to do? Punch them to death? They're machines, and I'm not a very muscular guy...I guess I don't really have a choice...

* * *

We all sit in silence for a good while just hearing the noises outside the door. The mechanical clicks from the Geth, sounds of gunfire raging from a distance, and worst of all, the screams. Oh god, the screams...Why won't I just wake up already...?

This is all so real. The people look and feel real, and so does the environment. This sense of fear and anxiety. I look down to my hands, making them into fists. This sense of helplessness, all feel real. If I'm actually here, then what purpose do I have of being here? Maybe I'm supposed to help take out Saren...? So I guess there's only one thing I need left to confirm this. I need to meet him/her. I need to meet Commander Shepard. That's the only thing I can think of that really makes sense right now. I mean, I'm pretty sure I wasn't put here to be a farmer, right?

"What the hell are those things? They don't look like any alien I've ever seen." The woman in the room comments.

The scared guy speaks up, "I don't know, but that ship they came from is something else. I've never seen anything like it. How about you, Cole?"

That must be the name of the man who led me here. Whom, by the way is searching through a couple of crates in the corner of the room. "Got me, Blake," he replies, while pulling out a pistol, "hopefully they'll die when you shoot 'em though."

Wait a minute. Cole? I know that name...Yeah, he's that guy who was getting paid by Powell to store smuggled packages in his shed. I guess this must be it. Hmm, I really don't want to be here when Shepard stops by... "I think they're, um, Geth." I say, trying to put my two cents into the discussion. The three of them give me this awkward look as if I was crazy, though that might be because it's the first time I've spoken in an hour.

"Geth? But I thought they stayed in the Persius Veil?" the woman comments.

"Sabrina, calm down," Blake begins, "It looks as if the kid just got out of High school, he doesn't know jack."

I glare at the man, and just before I speak, Cole starts first, "So, what's your name kid?"

He's being awfully friendly for someone who may have locked out innocent people from having a chance to live. But then again, he saved me, I guess…"Marcus," my eyes set on his pistol, "How did you know there was a gun in here?" Might as well ask, I can't exactly say that I already know why can I?

"Well, Marcus," he starts, "I have it kept here for a friend. And don't worry, I only have it out in case we need to use it."

A nearby gunshot goes off, but it didn't sound like a Geth pulse rifle. Now's my chance to get out! "Looks like you found your case, let's see if we can go out there and help someone!"

He scrunches his brow, "What, out _there_? No way! It's in case anything gets in _here_. The Alliance can deal with what's going on out there."

I get up closer to him, "Look, whoever is out there is in grave danger and needs our help. The Alliance may not get to them in time, and we may be the only ones who can do something about it. Now if you're not going to go out there, then I will." Hopefully I've put up a convincing argument enough that he'll go out there with me.

He thinks about it for a moment. Looks to the door, to me, to Blake, and then to his pistol. After a few seconds of pondering, he shakes his head, "There's no way I'm going out there," he gives me his pistol, "but if you're going out there—and you really don't have to by the way—but if you are," he grabs a harness of some sort out of the package behind him, "you're better off with this then we are."

Are you serious? You fucking ass hole! He's making an 18 year old go out into a war zone by himself with a gun he's never used before? These people truly are pathetic...I grab the harness and strap it on myself. Once I do, the orb in the center glows a bright blue. I turn towards the door and unlock it, "Cowards," I mumble in my breath to them before I press the door panel and run outside.

The first thing that hits me is the smell of ash and dead flesh. It is utterly repulsive! I don't think I've smelt anything like this in my life! I get behind a rock and take in my surroundings. This looks so much worse than it does in the game. There are dragons teeth in several different parts of the area, each one with a husk in it, along with Geth on the sides of them. It's only now that I recognize this area to be the spaceport.

Hmm, so that nearby gunshot I heard must have been Nihlus and… This thought unconsciously makes me move quietly all the way down to the ramp of the spaceport and just as I arrive, I see him walking away with his Geth. And that's Saren. Enemy of the galaxy, ladies and gentlemen!

Just as I finish this thought, the dragons teeth next to me starts to go down. Oh shit! I quickly get behind the cover of another rock. fuckfuckfuck okay, I can do this! It's just a zombie Marcus. It's just a zombie. You love killing zombies! You do it all the time in Dying Light and Resident Evil, this should be no different! Except for the part where, you know, this is real and I can actually die...Ah shit I'm so fucked! I pull out of cover to see where it is, but I'm distracted by the sound of the reaper ship leaving in the distance behind me. Once it disappears, I turn my attention back to the husk—OH SHIT!

It tackles me onto the floor, catching me by surprise and just starts pounding on me with great force. I dropped the pistol a little bit away and I'm struggling to get to it. I'm using my arm as a shield to block it from hitting my face. Come on, pick up the stupid pistol dammit! As I flail my arms around I grab on to something, a rock I think. It's better than nothing. With as much force as I can, I hit it in the face with it, knocking it off of me. Quickly, I get up and—I let out a mental sigh, one step and I fall flat on my face.

Really? Of all the times to trip, it's now!? I flip over on my back and see the husk coming straight for me, and I'm crawling backwards up until I reach the wall. Shit, I can't move…! The husk continues charging towards me when all of a sudden, it gets thrown head first into the wall, it's head smashing as it does. Very sudden, but certainly not unwelcome. I'm breathing heavily as I stare at what could have been my death, all in the meanwhile, gunshots are going off for about a minute until the fighting ceases.

Oh my god...I almost died. But someone killed it. Who?

"It's okay, you're safe now."

Now I realize there has been someone standing in front of me watching me shit myself. I look up to see the person's face. She's a woman engulfed in a blue aura, with red hair and beautiful emerald colored eyes. Is this who I think it is?

She kneels down to me with a smile and says the exact words I needed to hear, "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. We're here to rescue you."

* * *

 **A/N : And there you have it! Hopefully you enjoyed reading it. It took a lot of thought as to how I wanted get put in the universe. I knew I wanted it to be Eden Prime, but it also had to be in the right moment as well, you know?**

 **Either way, thanks for stopping by! R &R if it's not too much trouble. I'd love some feedback as to how I can make the story better (even if it is the first chapter :P)**

 **Well then, that's it for now. Til next time! :D**


	2. Enough for Two

**A/N** **: Hey! Welcome back everyone! Thank you for all the favorites, alerts, and reviews (even if there were only three, I really take them to heart lol). It's a bigger outcome then I thought I would have gotten after the first chapter and it means a lot that you took the time out of your day to actually read this :)**

 **Well, now that that's out of the way, I'm gonna save the rest of the talking for the end. So in the meantime, enjoy! :D**

* * *

Chapter 2: Enough For Two

Holy shit...I was just saved by Commander Shepard. And a FemShep at that! I've only played through the games once or twice as a FemShep. A lot of people argue that the female is better than male Shepard, but I always disagreed. I mean there are few segments in each game that I think Jennifer Hale does spot on for, but Mark Meer definitely does the Shepard role justice, especially in the third game. Though after what just happened, I think FemShep has definitely earned some points in my book.

"Uh, is he okay, Commander?" And there's the soothing, raspy voice of Kaidan. Or should I say Carth Onasi?

Shepard turns her head towards Kaidan, "He's probably just in shock, just like the other civilians we've ran into."

"Yeah, but he's just been staring at you for the past two minutes with the same blank expression on his face."

Oh hey Ashley! Wait, what did she say? Shit, I better speak up! "Eherm, sorry about that," I say, shaking my head, "I was uh, seeing my life flash before my eyes." I get up as fast as I could. I don't want to seem weak in front of them, after all I'm trying to save the galaxy with them.

I seem to get a few chuckles from my last comment before Kaidan speaks up, "For what little life that may be. How old are you?" He genuinely asks.

Hmm. There's no use in lying about my age right? They don't judge you by how young you are. In the first game, Tali was still practically about my age and they welcomed her with open arms. Yeah might as well. I'll introduce myself while I'm at it too.

"I'm eighteen years old," I turn my attention back to Shepard, "You said your name was Commander Shepard right?" She nods. I extend my hand to her and she shakes it. "Well, I'm Marcus Redfeild. Oh, and uh, thanks for saving me." I point at the now dead husk next to me. I can feel my cheeks starting to blush, but it stops as the handshake ends. That was weird…

The Commander smiles warmly, "You're welcome! This is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." She gestures to her two marines and after each name, I shake the person's hand. Ash had a surprisingly stronger grip than Kaidan…

"So what's a kid like you doing out here all by yourself?" The GC asks. I'm not gonna lie, I felt a little hurt at the fact of being called "kid". It's not a favorite title of mine.

"Well, I was hiding in a shed back up the hill there at first," I begin, "Then I kind of got sick of hearing people die and decided to try and do something about it. I found this thing (the harness on my chest) and a pistol inside of a crate and decided to take my chances." Yes I lied, but frankly, I don't want to see those three again. My gaze fixes itself on the husk for the second time, "I guess you can see how that turned out…" I rub the back of my neck with a smile.

Their eyes widen in shock, but only for a second. "So I guess this belongs to you?" she asks taking out the pistol I dropped.

Yep! That would be it. "Yeah, uh, do you think I could have that back?" she squints hers eyes, suspiciously. Oh shit, quick save yourself! "Please?" *sigh* well that's better than nothing I guess. She looks towards Shepard, who then nods to her before handing me the pistol back. Huh. I'm glad she gave it to me, but I wonder why. I know I wouldn't have. I have no training with the thing and I'm barely considered an adult. But hey, I'm not going to argue about it. "Thanks."

Shepard nods her head with a smile before putting on a more serious look, "Of course. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to continue our mission. If you're going to stay out here, try not to get yourself into something you can't get out of." With that she turns on her heel and walks in the direction of the ramp. The two Alliance soldiers following right behind.

Crap! Say something before they leave! As they round the corner, both Shepard and Kaidan's faces widen in shock. Oh that's right, Nihlus died! That might be my ticket in, though I might have to break canon to do it...Oh well, Powell isn't that important to the story is he?

"Was that Turian your friend?" I ask chasing them down as they rush to the body. Now we're around his corpse. Turians up close look...strange.

Shepard shakes her head while Kaidan answers, checking his vitals. "His name is Nihlus. He was a Spectre working with us on the Norman—"

Hoooooly shit those crates moved! My pistol's up, shakily, before I even think about it. Oh yeah, that's Powell, what am I doing? Guess I won't be ruining canon after all. I holster my weapon but the three Alliance soldiers still have their shit ready. It's actually quite beautiful to watch ( _wipes away nonexistent tear drop_ )... The smuggler runs out from hiding, "Wait. Don't shoot! I'm one of you, I'm human!"

"Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed. Try to be more careful!" says the red-headed N7. They all put away their weapons.

He rubs his hands together before speaking, "I'm sorry, I was just hiding behind those crates. When I heard some human voices I really wasn't thinking about any possible threats." He bows his head, staring at Nihlus before continuing, "I saw what happened to your friend there, that other Turian shot him."

Ok, here's my cue, "So it _was_ a Turian then…"

"What are you talking about?" She asks.

Alright, here goes, "Before you guys showed up, I heard a gunshot come from the spaceport here. Obviously I'm thinking—hey, it could be someone that needs my help—you know? So I decided to go and investigate." I take a short breath. "Anyway, when I came over to check it out, I saw someone leaving with a squad of geth and then I was attacked by a husk." I tilt my head to Shepard, "That's when you showed up."

"I-It's true!" Powell exclaims, confirming my story, "That other Turian—Saren, I think was his name—must have known your friend there. He let his guard down and…he killed him. Shot him right in the back!"

Wow, I didn't realize how shook up he was about what happened. I mean in the game he demonstrated it pretty well, but here, it's like you can _feel_ how scared he is, about _everything_. But I can understand it though. Judging by what I've seen in the last couple of hours or so, I'm surprised I'm not hiding behind a bunch of crates.

Shepard looks deep in thought, processing the events no doubt. Only two seconds of that go on before she raises her head and takes a look around. Hmm maybe she's looking for—

"We we're told a Prothean Beacon was brought here to the spaceport, what happened to it?"

Yeah, that.

The frightened dock worker points to our left over in the distance, "It's on the other platform. That's probably where that other guy, Saren was headed. He hopped on the cargo train right after he killed your friend." I know he's scared, but does he have to mention it in everything he says?

Both Ash and Kaidan face the N7 operative at the same time, and so she takes this time to give orders, "We need to find that beacon before it's too late! Kaidan, I want you on the six watching our asses. Chief, you take point." They nod and take their assigned positions.

Fuck! Marcus, _thinkthinkthink_. "We can take the cargo train to get there!" I mention this much louder than I really meant to. I couldn't help it, I _have_ to go with them. Otherwise I'm here for god knows what reason.

Kaidan is the first to answer, " _We_? Look, kid," And there's that word again…"I know you want to help, but where we're going is not the place for you to be at. It's dangerous."

I take a step towards the L2 biotic, "With all due respect, Lieutenant, it's the Commander's decision." He raises an eyebrow as I walk past him and step in front of her. Okay I'm going to need to sell this if I have any chance at joining her crew. Thespian skills, activate! "Shepard, listen. I know it's dangerous and you have every right to turn me down. But this man is responsible for ruining the lives of all the people on this colony, and if you guys are going after him, I can't just sit back and do nothing." I move closer, staring deep into her eyes, "Please. Let me go with you."

She holds my gaze for what feels like an hour before replying, "Fine." YES! I can practically hear the Final Fantasy 7 victory music now! "But you have to follow my orders and do what I say. From this moment on, you're part of my squad. Keep your head down and no heroics, understood?"

I give her the best salute I could muster from what I learned back in JROTC, "Where do you want me?" I ask trying to hold back my excitement.

"You'll be on the six with Kaidan."

"Yes mam!" I take my spot next to Kaidan, him giving me a smirk as I do.

This is gonna be great!

* * *

I couldn't have been more wrong...

We're on that long walkway that leads to the cargo train and we're currently getting shot at by Geth. Ever since the bullets started to fly, I've been hiding in cover the whole time. Honestly, I'm too scared to poke my head out, 'cause I feel like if I do, I'm gonna get blown away! And yeah, I know, I'm a wuss! But I figure, I just need to wait for the right opportunity to present itself. Hmm. Let's see what everybody else is up to...

Ashley is in the front, peppering the closest one with some assault rifle fire, while Shepard glows blue and makes her way up to it from cover to cover. What's she doing…? Sparks suddenly fly out from the machine (Kaidan's handiwork no doubt) and I now realize Ash takes out her sniper rifle and starts firing at the ones further back, trying to take all of the aggro. Shepard finally reaches the Geth—as it stumbles back from the shock Kaidan delivered—and she taps it with a glowing disc, then releasing a heavy amount of blue energy, throwing it at its other friends. She ducks back into cover and counts back from three with her fingers. What's that for? When she reaches one finger, the Geth unit explodes, killing two others in the process.

Holy shit that was so cool! Shepard is just about as combat ready as she was in the third game and that was when a war was going on! A big smile forms on my face. Seeing them in action is pretty awesome. It's like I'm watching a movie but, in like, 3D or something.

Kaidan gets up from his piece of cover and starts pushing up more, "C'mon kid, we need to get closer to them, we're too far away now."

*sigh* right...I had to move sometime. I take a deep breath and step outside of my "safe" area. Okay, let's do this! I sprint up as fast as I can. Before I know it, I'm passing even Shepard and Ashley. Alright, maybe I'm going a little too fast… About five seconds after I pass them, I feel shots ping against my harness. Oh so it's a shield generator? An orange light pops up, warning me that my shields have dropped to twenty percent. Oh fuck me! I slide into to the nearest cover and wait for my shields to recharge. Damn this harness is ass! Oh well, might as well catch my breath.

Ash takes the cover next to me, "That was some pretty fast running there. You run track in high school?" Is that really the right question to ask right now? I just shrug to the question, "Well, here's what's going to happen," she begins, ignoring my answer, "The Commander and the LT are going to provide covering fire with their biotics, and while they're doing that, you and I are going to pop off their little flashlight heads. Sound good?"

Um, that sounds a lot like me actually getting out of cover. "B-but, my shields aren't even full yet." Just then, my harness lights up green, indicating that it's ready to go. God must really hate me…

The Gunnery Chief grins at me. Alright, I'll do it, seeing as how my excuse was a bust I don't have much of a choice.

I bow my head slightly in acknowledgement. "Alright, on my mark," she waits about five seconds, "Go!"

Everything goes quiet, save for the sound of my breathing and heart beat as I get up and aim my pistol at the first Geth trooper I see. Think of the recoil Marcus, you need to accommodate for it. I can picture Tyler saying it now: "use your game sense!" The first one I spot was hit by a warp so that'll do just nicely. I target the chest area and squeeze the trigger. The trooper gets hit right in the face and falls on it's back. That's one, and I can already feel my hands "vibrating" from the shot, that recoil is no joke! I aim at a second one that was thrown into a crate and fire a couple of shots into it, hitting it in the chest. It's shields break from that and three more direct hits take it down. My shields beep at fifty percent and I crouch back into cover.

Damn, I'm not too bad at this. I killed two already! Which sucks in comparison with my companions, but hey, I feel good about myself. I look over discreetly and just as I do, Ash finishes taking down the other three that were remaining.

So that's it? The fighting is over? Alright! Good stuff! Can I get some "leveled up" music to play right now please? Shepard and Kaidan catch up to us, "Great job you two!" Says the future Spectre.

Ash puts a hand on her waist, "Thanks Commander," she glances over at me, "He actually didn't do too bad."

"Are you kidding?" Alright now I'm gonna geek out, I just can't help it! "You guys were amazing! I mean when that one Geth showed up and Kaidan hit it with an overload and he was all like: _"Hey there scum!"_. And then Chief here started drawing the attention from the other troopers like: _"Not today you damn flashlights!"_ And finally you, Commander, who stuck it with a grenade and you were all: _"I don't play games, kid!"_ Then, once it finally hit his friends and you counted to three, it like—" I make a sound effect with my mouth—"blew up, killing the ones around it! *sigh* it was fucking great…"

The three of them are staring at me with perplexed looks on their faces. I guess I may have gone a little overboard there huh? Kaidan decides to break the awkwardness, "At least he's observant." This earns some laughs from everyone, even me! To be honest though, I'm just hoping they forget about what just happened.

Shepard beckons us over to the cargo train, "Come on. We still have a turian to catch and a beacon to find."

Too right, Shepard. We all follow her on to the platform and we're moving before we know it. Shepard and Ashley are chatting it up, probably about some military bravado, and Kaidan is checking something on his omni-tool. I'm just standing by the edge and leaning on the rails. Damn, it's been one crazy night. Or day? I can't tell with the sky… Either way, it's been crazy. First, I fall into a fictional universe and now I'm fighting bad guys alongside three characters—or I guess people now—that I actually cared about on a virtual screen. It's all so trippy…

My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Raphael Sbarge, "Quite the view isn't it?"

I look beyond the walls and see the nature in the distance. Wow, it's definitely a sight to see. "It sure is."

"I hear it looks a helluva lot better when it's not under attack."

I can't help but snicker at that, "Really? I thought the spikes, zombies, and robots were just a different touch for decoration."

This time he snickers, only for a second though. He shakes his head before continuing, "These people don't deserve this. All they did was dig up a Prothean artifact and now they're suffering for it. They had no idea what they were getting into..."

Oh shit, I'm in a serious conversation with a squadmate. Where's my dialogue wheel when I need it!? I better say something, "The Geth haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in over three centuries, there's no way anyone could have anticipated this attack." Huh, that wasn't so bad actually. Ah, who needs a dialogue wheel to speak anyway?

"Yeah, you're right." He tilts his head towards me, "So what are you doing here anyway?—on Eden Prime I mean."

Dammit, I didn't think about a cover story. I can't exactly say I fell can I? The platform slowly comes to a stop arriving at our destination. Phew! Talk about getting saved by the bell. "I'll tell you later, right now we have a colony to save."

"Right."

We follow Shepard off the platform and all of our weapons are already drawn. Oop! There's the first bomb. Our leader crouches down next to it and starts tinkering with it. Shit. Does she actually know what she's doing? I mean, in the game, you just press a single a button and—

 _Beep Beep_

Right, well that explains that. I'll just shut up now… "There must be more around just like this one. Once we find them, you guys cover me while I deactivate each one." We simply nod our heads to her order, "Alright, let's move!"

Here we go again…!

* * *

The last Geth trooper sputters and deactivates after getting a sniper shot to the chest. Ash is a much better shot than I thought she was, and she's using her Sniper rifle much more than she did in the first game. But then again, I guess there's a reason why it's her other weapon in the third one.

I think out of that whole fight, I killed maybe one or two Geth troopers out of like, eleven. I really suck at this. That or Kaidan and Ashley just looove to kill steal.

Well, at least the colony is saved. Now we're standing in front of the beacon. The green aura emanating from it looks kinda pretty actually… I overhear Shepard radio the Normandy. Both the Lieutenant and Gunnery Chief are staring at it, marveling at the beauty of it. I'm just watching what's happening from the side at the moment. Ash walks over to Shepard and that's when Kaidan says the magic words.

"Something must've activated it." He starts drawing closer until he gets caught into a pull from the beacon. Why do I feel like I should do something? Noticing this Shepard jumps in, grabs him and throws him out of the way. She's struggling to get out until finally, she's levitating. The feeling to do something now has me fighting myself.

Dammit! What the hell is going on?

 _"Go…"_ A voice whispers into my head.

This breaks my struggle as my body moves on it's own and my hand reaches for her forearm. As soon as it makes contact, my mind suddenly feels like it's being mind-fucked with information. Synthetics killing organics and Ilos with Sovereign hidden inside. But there's something else... Just before it ends, I see a glimpse of a child holding the world in the palm of his hand.

The beacon explodes and everything goes dark…

* * *

 **A/N : Okay, so that's the end for this one. I apologize about the action segments here, I haven't written any type of action scene in a very long time, so I'm still trying to get used to it again. I'll definitely do my best to make sure that it improves as the plot progresses :)**

 **I'm going to try to update this story as much as I can, but I'd say to expect a chapter every week or every two weeks. That's the goal for right now, mowt (pay no attention to that last word, it's just something I say) :3**

 **Anyway, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by! :D**


	3. Nightmare's and Thugs

Chapter 3: Nightmare's and Thugs

 _I'm on Eden Prime where I first landed. But this looks different. It's much more peaceful. I do a 360, scanning my surroundings and I see what a typical day here must be like. Farmers tending to the crops, dock workers doing their job, and even a family taking a stroll down a hill. A child holding his parents' hands as they both laugh and smile. It reminds me of how my sister and I are with my mom...It's a wonderful thing._

 _It's short lived, however, when a metallic cry rips through the sky and Sovereign drops down. The sky blackens the red. The smell of dead flesh and the overheating of guns take over the scent of the peaceful colony. I scan my surroundings once more and see that the crops the farmers were working on were ruined, and their bodies were littered like trash around the fields. The docks have crates and other useless equipments scattered all over the place and not a single worker in sight. Then my attention goes back to the family, only, there was no happy family anymore…_

 _The father was face down on the ground, his back riddled with bullet holes and burn marks from a geth pulse rifle. The child was underneath the father, but he lies still. I only notice him because his arm was sticking out underneath like a sore thumb. Finally, the mother, who was laying on a dragon's tooth. Her back was extended, almost as if the thing had already impaled her and she had tears flowing down her face._

 _Suddenly, I find myself in front of the mother. Her cheeks were red and puffy and her eyes bloodshot. She appeared lifeless with all of the injuries on her body. But as I stare at this woman, her head creaks over to me, and she looks me in the eyes. Now I recognize her...she was the woman I saw get impaled, just after the geth troops dropped. She opens her mouth slightly, "Why didn't you save me?"_

 _Just as she says this, more tears begin to fall before the spike is violently thrusted through her chest, killing her instantly. I'm taken aback by the horror and every part of myself wants to run in another direction, but I can't move...I turn around_ — _with no movement in my legs at all_ — _and see that I'm now standing right in front of Sovereign. "You are different from the others. Weak...insignificant. You are not worthy. No matter. You will burn in the fire of our arrival."_

* * *

I wake up, screaming as I sit upright on the bed I'm apparently on. I close my eyes and tightly grip the sides of the bed while I try to bring myself back to reality. That was the scariest dream I've ever fucking had in my life! If that's what Shepard had during the first game, then I'm amazed at how calm she was. I'm sweating a lot, so much that the mattress underneath me feels damp. I mean, it felt so real...the look on that womans face, and Sovereign speaking to me head on.

My hand starts to shake and I use it to clutch the right side of my face to calm myself down. I could've done something...anything! Instead of hiding like some scared kid. Maybe I could have distracted it so she could get away. Or maybe—*sigh*

Or maybe I'd have just wound up dead too…

I hear a couple of footsteps coming my way until it also comes with a voice, "You're awake! How are you feeling?" A french accented woman asks.

Wait a minute. French? I'm pretty sure Doctor Chakwas isn't french...I open my eyes, only now deciding to look where I am. Well, it's not the Normandy like I thought it would be, that's for sure. Yeah. Actually it looks more like—

"Judging by that look on your face, you've either experienced one heck of a nightmare, or you have no idea where you are." The lady softly says with a sweet smile, "So tell me, which one is it?"

I drop my hand down, wiping my face awake as I cumbrously respond, "Both, actually." I give my best attempt for a smile, but I feel like it came out a little awkward looking. "Where am I?"

She opens up her omni-tool and starts clicking away at things. She's probably running a scan on me, "You're in a medical clinic located in the wards on the Citadel. _My_ clinic to be more accurate." She takes her eyes off of the screen and sets them on me, "I'm Doctor Michel. You're Alliance friends left you here a couple of hours ago. You've been out for 21 hours, so it's about time you woke up." She finishes that last part with a giggle before her attention goes back to the screen.

Woah! Wait a minute! Back up!

…

21 hours!? _GODDAMN!_ And I'm already on the Citadel? Shit, I was out cold longer than Shepard was in the game? That's insane...Well, actually, I guess it does make sense that I'm not as strong minded as the greatest Hero of the Galaxy. Hmm, I've been silent for over ten seconds, I should probably answer back now.

"I suppose so," I grin sheepishly, "Where are they now by the way?" My guess is that they're on their way to see Udina and the Council, but I can't really say that, seeing as how I was out cold when they made plans for that.

Her eyes stay fixated on the screen, but she's smiling nonetheless. "They went over to the embassy to speak to the human ambassador," Nailed it! "They couldn't tell me much beyond that."

I smirk. Before I could think about it, my sarcasm kicks into gear, "Maybe they plan on taking over the Citadel, trying to make Humans come out on top. Someone, quick, get C-Sec!" I get a few laughs from her before continuing, "I wouldn't worry about it too much, I don't think Shepard would really let that happen anyway, to be honest."

Actually, I don't know that for sure. I still can't tell what sort of morality type she is. From the time that I've spent with her at Eden Prime, she seems to lean a little bit more towards Paragon. But her attitude seems like that of a renegade at times. Maybe...she's both?

"I suppose so," She shrugs, "Alliance Military is always so secretive,—even with family—I guess I've just gotten used to it by now."

She kind of sounds like she speaks from experience...I guess I had a very bemused look on my face because she laughs, "My parents were medics in the Alliance, so I kind of had to grow up with that."

Wow. I've played the trilogy more times than I can count, and even I didn't know that. Then again, I honestly never spoke to Dr. Michel too much. In the third game you could take her with you on the Normandy, but I always chose Chakwas, so I never had much interaction with the French doctor.

"Ah, I see…" Silence took over for a couple of seconds before I decided to fill it, "So what's the news Doc? Am I going to need to wear a cast, or a straitjacket, or what?" Not gonna lie, I'd be kind of amused wearing a straitjacket. I'd be just like Isaac Clarke!

"Well, both physically and mentally, you're fine, so none of that stuff for you." Awwww…"However, there was an unusual amount of brain activity, abnormal beta waves. Doctor Chakwas got the same signs from both you and your Commander." Her Omni-tool blips away as she walks over to a filing cabinet and pulls one of the drawers open. "Judging by the way you woke up and your rapid eye movement, you must've been having an intense dream."

"More like a nightmare…" I mutter under my breath. I clutch my head as the thought of dream came back, "I saw machines, slaughtering people, and butchering them on spikes. Turning them into monsters. Women, children, everybody!" I ball my hand up into a fist, "It felt so real." I know it was real. It was all real…

The sound of a loud bang cause me to jump in my bed and my hands immediately come up in a poor excuse of a defensive stance. It turns out that bang was The Doctor slamming the file cabinet shut. Once I recognize this, my body relaxes a bit and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I didn't even realize I tensed up…

She walks back over to the end of the bed and puts a hand under her chin, "It seems the events on your last mission have left you jumpy, hmm?" You can say that again. "I believe what you experienced has, in a sense, "shocked" your brain."

"I'm gonna take a guess and say that isn't good is it?"

"I'll give you some medicine that should help." A devilish smirk takes over her sweet one, "Otherwise, we'll just have to put you into a correctional facility." Correctional Facility, eh? I wonder if Arkham Asylum exists here...

I chuckle and scratch my head, "Well, surely we don't want that, do we? Heh heh Heh." I suddenly have the urge to hit the toilet, "Uh, could I use your bathroom?"

"Of course! It's the door to your left."

I slowly try to make my way out of bed while my gut settles itself as I stand. Huh, I'm still wearing my clothes I had on from last night (beige cargo pants and a dark green v-neck). That's weird. I mean, it doesn't really matter, but still, weird. Once I'm off of the bed, I nod to her as a thank you and enter through the door. As I do my business, I can hear her speaking outside.

"It is strange, however, that both you and Miss Shepard had very similar dreams…" Wait, so Shepard _did_ get the vision. So what was it that I saw? "I'll add it to my report for the diagnosis. I think it would be best for you two to have a chat when she—"

I flush and wash my hands just as the door whooshes open and I hear a few foot steps enter the room. I wonder who that could be?

"Hey there, Doc." Oh shit, I think that's Fist's men! I press my ear against the door and I count 4 pairs of footsteps. Just like the game, that's good. Well, sort of… "We thought we'd stop by and keep you in the loop on certain things. Fist wants you keeping quiet about the Quarian, or you can say goodbye to this little clinic of yours."

Shit, I have to do something! But I can't go out there unarmed. I look around the bathroom and find nothing until my eyes land on a futuristic looking plunger. You've got to be kidding me… I pick it up with some distaste and shake my head, it's better than nothing I guess.

"But, why? She only asked me to point her in the right direction. She just wanted to be safe!"

"That's none of your concern Doc, just make sure no one finds out about it, and," I hear the sound of a pistol being cocked back, "everything will be just fine…"

NO! He wouldn't pull the trigger on her would he? I won't let it happen again...She's not supposed to die here! I guess it's now or never then… Without thinking about my next move, I punch the door panel and as it flies open, I charge out with the plunger, holding it like a spear.

"Don't even think about it, you scumbags!" I say to them as menacing as I possibly could. Well, now they're all staring at me.

…

Not sure what I should do now…

The main guy that was talking to the good doctor now seems to be holding her like a meat shield, similar to the way he did in the game, and his men have their weapons pointed at me. They all appear to have dropped their guard once they noticed my only weapon was a plunger.

"It's just a kid." One whispers to the other.

The one holding Michel then speaks up, "Or what, _boy_?" Damn, why so much emphasis on the "boy" huh?

I lick my lips out of lack of words. Alright, say something threatening! "B-because if you don't, I-I-I will—" My eyes look quickly to the plunger and then back at the guy, "...plunge you…?" *sigh* I'm so fucked.

The guy pulls back an evil looking smirk, "Restrain him. Let's use him to show the Doctor a little lesson on what happens when you talk to the police."

I swallow hard. Oh fuck me...The guy closest to me grabs my "weapon" and tosses it to the side. As he comes closer I try to throw a fist, but he dodges it with no effort and then locks his arms to mine from behind me, leaving me defenseless on my front side. Dammit! Why did I never take any martial arts growing up? One of the other guys slowly comes over to me while cracking his knuckles. This is gonna hurt…

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" Oh my god! Never have I been happier to hear that line in my life!

"That's smart, doc. Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll—" The man suddenly gets very defensive as he takes Michel as a meat shield again. The rest of his men (besides the one holding me) Turns their attention to the door that had just opened. "Who are you!?"

"Let her go!" Shepard commands.

Just after Shepard says this, I see Garrus pop out of the corner. A loud bang goes off and after a shriek from the french doctor, the man falls down, lifeless. Aah, what a bad ass Garrus looks like while walking out with his pistol. It's honestly one of those things that when I saw it, it kind of locked him in as one of my favorite characters, you know? But then again—

Bullets start flying and I suddenly realize that this is no time to share my thoughts! The guy that was going to hit me ducked into cover and I'm still being held by this fucker behind me. Ok, this might hurt a little bit. With as much force and momentum I can muster, I headbutt backwards and hit his face, which breaks me from his hold almost instantly. Instinctively, I reach for the plunger he threw to the side and thwack him in the face with it as hard as I could. He falls back from the force and goes unconscious after he lands head-first on to the floor. Someone's going to have a serious headache in the morning.

Everyone ceases fire as the fighting has come to a stop. My hands are shaking from the adrenaline, it's kind of annoying really. I need to relax... I walk over to Dr. Michel and everybody else does the same. Ooh, and "everybody else" just happens to include Wrex! I guess she went and saw Barla Von after the Council meeting, huh?

"Perfect timing, Shepard! Gave me a clear shot at that bastard!" Garrus mentions with some pride. I mean it _was_ pretty bad ass. Oh hey, this is a good opportunity to see what kind of morality Shepard is!

"It was a nice shot, but it was reckless for you to take it. You could have hit the hostage!" Aww, that's not fair, it's like a mixture of both responses! So I guess she's a Paragade then? Garrus is taken aback by her assertiveness, but I don't blame him, even I'm a little scared and she's not even talking to me.

Garrus' mandibles twitch slightly, "There wasn't time to think! I just reacted. I wasn't trying to—" He stops himself and turns to the Dr. "Doctor Michel, are you hurt?" he asks, genuinely.

She scratches her head, "No, I'm fine! Thanks to you. All of you." She turns her gaze to me, "And thank you for trying. Regardless of the outcome, you came out of your own free will to try and save me. So thank you."

I didn't actually do anything to be honest, but I'll take the compliment anyway. I bow my head to her with a smile before Kaidan speaks up, "How about you, Marcus? How are you feeling?"

"Better than that guy." I say, pointing to the guy Garrus shot. I raise my hand—which, by the way, is still shaking, "Just waiting for the Adrenaline to wear off to be honest."

The three Alliance marines all smile at my words, while Wrex just stays staring, almost as if he's analyzing me. "I'm glad to hear it." Shepard simply says before focusing back to the mission. "Listen. I know those men threatened you. But if you tell us who they work for, we _can_ protect you. You have my word on that."

Without any hesitation, she spills the beans, "They work for Fist. They wanted to make sure I kept quiet, keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."

Wrex finally speaks for the first time, "The one I told you about, Shepard." Damn! I know his voice is deep but that was waaayyy more than I expected. It's like I felt it in my chest!

Garrus lifts up a talon as he tries to make the connection, "She must be able to link Saren to the Geth. There's no way the council can ignore this!"

Aaaaand tune out. I'm sorry, but I've just heard this soooo many times. As cool of a voice he has, I don't think it's too important to listen to his "application" to the team for the umpteenth time.

"Welcome aboard, Garrus." Shepard acknowledges before turning to everyone, "Is everyone ready to go?"

I raise my hand, "Uh, you guys wouldn't happen to have my stuff, would you?" I really don't want to have to go to a firefight with no equipment. I may as well run in there with no clothes on, if that's the case.

The Chief steps up to me, "Well, we brought your shield harness, but your pistol, sort of got left behind on Eden Prime."

Left behind? Seriously? I slump my shoulders as I take the harness from her hands, "Well, thanks for that, I guess..."

She grins playfully, "Don't pout! You're lucky we brought you something at all."

"Yeah, but now I'm weaponless. I'm pretty sure, you all use all of _your_ guns, so what do I do? Hit them with my plunger?" I ask jokingly.

A pistol's grip get's placed into my hands, "Here," apparently, it was Garrus, "I always keep a spare."

Well shit, that's convenient. I forgot officers actually do that. I chuckle as I stare at the Kessler II Predator pistol. A pretty crap pistol in the first game, but it's definitely better than a plunger, that's for sure.

"Thanks, Garrus." He nods, his mandibles spreading slightly to what I can only assume to be a small smile.

"Alright," Shepard's voice gets all of our attention, "Everyone ready?" We all nod in agreement, "Then I think it's about time we paid Fist a visit."

* * *

 **A/N : Alright, so I want to apologize for being soooooo late with this chapter, especially since it's kind of short too... I had the fullest intent to post it a couple of weeks ago, but I got really busy with work, and my sister's birthday. It also didn't help that I was swept away by the blissful tides of E3 and Steam summer sales :P**

 **Speaking of E3...Who else squealed like a little girl when they saw the trailer for** **Mass Effect: Andromeda? I really hope it wasn't just me lol I'm looking forward to it!**

 **That aside, I _PROMISE_ , I will try my best to get the next chapter out by next week. I'm going to try my damnedest! lol**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed! :D**


	4. Damsel in Distress!

**A/N: Alright, so just a few days later than what i was aiming for, but I did try my best! lol** **:P**

* * *

Chapter 4: Damsel in Distress!

Wow...The word "amazing" can't even begin to describe just how breath taking the Citadel looks. It's so nice seeing all of the different species interacting with each other in person, and actually seeing them in the flesh just made things even better. I actually had to stop myself from feeling Wrex's crest on his head or Garrus' fringe. I'm not an idiot so obviously I didn't do it, especially if I want them to like me, but I digress. Anyway, I didn't get much of a chance to stop and take in the sights (as much as I would have liked to) but I understand why. We're on a mission and we're also kind of on a time limit, so I'm sure I'll get the chance to explore a bit more thoroughly some other time.

So before we left the med clinic, Dr. Michel offered some spare medi-gel for saving her life, which we took gladly, as Fist will no doubt have guards protecting his sorry ass. The area looks like the spitting image of how it appeared in the game, just more realistic to be honest, so even I knew where to go. It didn't take long for us to reach Chora's Den, well sort of. We're in the lower markets in front of the door before Chora's Den. You know, where you make the trade with that Krogan weapons dealer during that one C-Sec side mission? Yeah, that's where we are. We've unknowingly formed a circle as Shepard starts talking.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! There's a good chance Fist's men will be guarding him inside the club."

"No doubt about it, Shepard." Wrex says, "The man is a coward, doesn't have the spine to fight his own battles."

Yeah, furreal. Dude betrays the Shadow Broker and then expects to be safe? Now that's funny! Shepard speaks up again, "Exactly. So when we go inside, watch each other's backs. We're a team now, so let's fight as one, yeah?"

Garrus raises a talon, "Well, judging by how well our little fire fight went at the clinic," his mandibles spread open, "something tells me we'll be just fine."

"That fight was pretty fresh though, not gonna lie." They're all giving me weird faces. Oh yeah, 21st century slang doesn't work here… "Uh, I meant that it was a good fight, that's all."

Ash puts a hand on her hip, "Now, is that before or after we saved your ass?"

What? No… "What are you talking about? I had it under control…"

She chuckles, "Oh Please, you threatened them with a plunger!"

"Which stalled them long enough for you guys to go in and take them out. C'mon, you gotta give me _some_ credit!" And I did take one of them out, so that counts for something in my book!

"Yeah, he's right Chief, he did alright. Who knows what could have happened if he hadn't been there." I mean, I do, but thanks for backing me up Kaidan. A devilish grin forms on his face, "And hey, I think we may have found a Plumber for the Normandy!" I hate you…

The three Alliance soldiers laugh, while Garrus looks puzzled, and Wrex just seems impatient. Yeah, I'm getting to that point too big guy. "Okay, lock it up," Shepard starts as the laughing dies down, "Wrex open the door. Let's go Knock on Fist's door."

"I don't knock," he mutters as he opens the door. We all file ourselves into the alleyway that leads to Chora's Den. The transit module is to the right of the doorway just like it is in the game. It's good to know, everything looks like it does in the game, well, placement wise at least. I remember playing it on console after playing it on PC, and it was just awful! The frame drops, the textures refusing to load, ugh. We enter the big square area before the Club. Still, it wasn't so bad once you got used to it I gue—

HOLY SHIT! BULLETS ARE FLYING!

My legs automatically bend down, putting me into cover. As I look to my right, I see Kaidan and Shepard using biotics to cut down their defenses, makes sense. Garrus and Ash are to my left, He using his sniper, while she occupies them with her assault rifle. Alright, I should do something too, help take down their shields or something.

I stand one leg up, getting ready to pop out of cover and—Hey, wait a minute...Where's Wrex? I peek over slightly and, there he is, just walking towards them with a shotgun in hand. Some might say suicidal...I say, "bad ass."

I aim my pistol and fire as many accurate shots possible at the first person I see. A blue light flickers around them, indicating that their kinetic barriers went down. Alright, I did something! Shortly after, a sniper shot echoes (ala Garrus Vakarian) and the guy becomes headless. My gut quivers at the sight of the man's death, it was a pretty gruesome sight. I don't think I could do that…

One guy gets electrocuted—probably an overload—and stumbles back. He doesn't have long to gain his footing again before Wrex blast's him away with his shotgun. Do I even need to do anything right now? It seems like they have it taken cared of...Wrex uses a biotic pull on one of them, and once the turian mercenary comes close, he grabs him by the throat and shoves him up in the air. Soon after, he is met with a barrage of bullets, courtesy of Ash's assault rifle.

The last one falls to Shepard and Kaidan. Jesus Christ, all of this killing...Am I really cut out for this? The Area is clear now, so everyone got up out of cover, except Wrex of course, who decided to walk over and say hello instead. As I'm getting up, my stomach lurches, and my hands are shaking. I start my walk over to the door along with everyone else.

Dammit, Marcus...Relax. You can get through this, you just need to stay calm and hold in the food you ate a century and a half ago. It's going to be fine...I hope. I let out a mental sigh. What am I doing here? I'm not a fighter. I can't kill, even when I'm under attack! Geth heretics are machines, that's not a problem. But people? Organisms that bleed...I just can't!

"You alright, pal?" I look and see that Kaidan is standing next to me, "You don't look so good…"

I take a deep breath before answering, "Yeah, I'm fine. Still trying to get used to all of the fighting, you know?" I'll be honest with him, no point in lying about this.

"I can understand that." He says, before putting one hand on my shoulder as we walk over to the rest of the squad. "You don't have to do all of this you know that right? I mean, the fighting part. You can help us out some other way, like on the Normandy or something."

I give him a confused look. I'm not supposed to know what the Normandy is yet sooo. He seems to catch on and corrects himself, "Oh, the Normandy is the ship we serve on, the most advanced technological ship in the galaxy." He says it with so much pride, it's actually quite refreshing. But can it go up against the Millenium Falcon? Aah, that's the real question!

I nod my head, "Oh okay." Hmm… I grin at him, "But I don't see how being a plumber would help take down Saren…"

He snorts at my joke and I continue, "Well, that'd be nice and all, but I want to be out there with you guys, fighting by your sides." I pause and look down before looking him in the eyes, "I just have to get used to it first."

He nods because he doesn't get the chance to reply as we regroup with everyone else. "Chora's Den is built like a rotunda." Garrus states, "Maybe we should split up into two groups of three when we get in there, can cover more ground that way."

"Turian's got a point," Wrex says, "With them being in the center, they won't know which group to shoot at first. It'll make them easy targets."

"Maybe we should see what the Commander would rather do first." Ash mentions. Damn! I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who sensed the hostility in her voice just now. It's easy to forget she's a xenophobe, especially after seeing her attitude toward aliens change so drastically by the third game. Eh, we'll get there.

Shepard squints her eyes at the Chief for a second, before addressing everyone, "Garrus seems to have the right idea and it definitely sounds like it can work. So in that case: Marcus, Williams, and I will go through the left side. You three take take the right." We all nod. Strangely enough, I feel a bit safer going with Shepard on this...But then again, who wouldn't? It's Commander—freaking—Shepard! "Alright everyone, let's do this!"

She hits the green panel and as the door flies open, we're met with the warm welcome of bullets. Shepard and Garrus go in first, moving quickly to cover as the shots instantly impact their shields. After taking out two men, Wrex and Ash go in next, and then Kaidan and I follow behind them. I'm crouched behind that little wall at the entrance of Chora's Den. I'm not hiding or anything, just building up the courage to move…

Okay, it looks like Kaidan just bounded his way over to Garrus and Wrex, so I guess it's my turn. I take deep breath and count to three. 1...2...3! I shoot up and crab-walk as fast as I could to a piece of cover closest to my female companions. Hey, what they do in Gears of War really does work huh? I felt a few shots hit my shields, but that was it really.

I once again peek over to see what's going on. Alright so there appears to be about 4 thugs here, 3 humans and 1 turian. Doesn't seem too bad.

Shepard shoots her pistol so fast at the turian without it overheating, and once his shield breaks, her body becomes engulfed with a beautiful blue, and uses a biotic slam on the guy. If it weren't for all of this gunfire, I'm pretty sure I would have heard a crunch. She sends out a blue cosmic ball (kind of looks like a warp) up in the air and it crashes down on some guy that was behind cover. The force of the ball brings him out of hiding and she finishes him off with her pistol, though this time it did overheat.

One guy hiding behind the bar counter pops out and starts aiming, at her! Shit, her gun overheated, I have to do something! I bring out my pistol and shoot at him, but even though I'm hitting his kinetic barrier, it's not getting his attention. I keep firing until it goes down, he's completely defenseless now. I can save the Commander and finish him…

I aim the pistol at him again, only this time was different. I couldn't move my finger, almost as if I was paralyzed and the trigger was stuck. I can hear my heartbeat being just about as loud as a fog horn, like it's inside my head almost. My breathing becomes heavier as the iron sights rests on his head. If I kill him, there's no going back. But it's okay because I'm defending a friend...right? Everything starts to go red and my hand shakes as I clench my teeth. NO. Killing him would be wrong! I know I have to do it, but...I can't!

The human's head suddenly get's jerked back, the blood exploding from the back of his head as he plunges to the floor. I lower my gun. I didn't kill him...So...I look over and see that Ash is staring at me, concerned with an eyebrow raised. I guess she saw what happened...my hesitation. Shepard could have died, and I still hesitated! God…

The fighting appears to have ended. Everyone's moving towards the back door where Fist's office is. I guess I better go join them...I move up and out of cover, slightly dragging myself over there. I don't feel weak or anything, just pathetic to be honest.

"Fist's office is just behind this door," Garrus explains, "I don't think he was expecting us to pass through his party guests with such ease, so we might have the advantage here."

Wrex grimaces and pumps his shotgun, "I already gave him his warning. He'll be ready...Or so he believes."

Kaidan turns to Shepard, "It might be a good idea for two of us to stay back, make sure nobody else comes in."

"Good idea, Kaidan," Our Commander says. Now was that a smile on your face Lieutenant? Hmm… "Any volunteers?"

The only thing Fist uses to fight back in his office are two turret drones. I can kill machines! "Marcus and I can stay behind, cover your six." Ash says. I guess not. I hesitate a bit before nodding my head in acknowledgment.

"Okay," Shepard starts, "Radio us if anymore trouble shows up."

We both shake our heads and the four of them go through the door. Leaving both of us here by ourselves. The two workers walk out shortly after they enter, which means that Shepard could be more Paragon than Renegade. Only time will tell I guess.

Ash is watching the left side while I watch the right. We're both standing on both sides of the door with a silence before she turns to me, "So what happened back there?" Yep, I should have known this conversation was coming up. Can I have my dialogue wheel now? "That merc was aiming at the Commander and you didn't try to stop him."

"It's not that I didn't try to save her," I begin, "I took down his shields, but when it came down to pulling that trigger at the end...I just couldn't do it."

"You mean you couldn't kill him?"

I nod slowly, "Killing isn't right. My mom always told me to never do any harm to others, and well, I'm pretty sure ending someone's life is included in that philosophy."

She puts a hand on her chin, "I can see your point, but there's still something I don't get. I mean back on Eden Prime, you were killing Husks just fine, and they used to be people."

"Yeah, but that's exactly it. They _used_ to be people." I cross my arms, how do I explain this? "The husks' were already dead, they were just walking and trying to kill me. So in that case, when I shot my gun at them, I didn't feel like I was ending their life. It just felt like self-defense. Whereas with a person, I'd be taking away someone's future."

She stays quiet for a little while before responding, "I understand, and you know, that's perfectly normal. You're not a soldier, Marcus. It's alright to think like that. But in this kind of situation—where people's lives are on the line—that's something you need to be okay with." She puts a hand on her hip, "I know you want to help bring Saren down, but that doesn't mean you have to be out here with us. How about a job inside the Normandy? I'm sure there are plenty of things for you to help out with there!"

I shrug, slumping my shoulders down as I do. I find it a little funny how both alliance soldiers brought up the same option to me. Although, it does seem like the logical thing… "Yeah, maybe there are, but—" I tilt my head at her, "A part of me feels like I belong out here, with you guys. I just feel like maybe I need to be trained first…Besides, I've got no problem 'deactivating' flashlight heads."

She smirks at my last remark, "Okay, I'll tell you what. Once we leave the Citadel, I'll teach you how to fight and how to use a gun properly. Until then…" She walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, "whenever we run into any hostiles, try and take out their shields if you can, and I will do the rest, got it?"

I nod my head to her. That's actually pretty cool of her, I mean in the games I always thought she was cool regardless, but she just met me! Yet, she's willing to kill for me...that's just…*sigh* what a woman! Hmm...Maybe I can have some fun with this…

"You know, I've gotta say Ash, you have really surprised me today."

"How so?" she asks with an eyebrow raised.

"From my first impression of you back on Eden Prime, I sorta pegged you as one of those tough 'chicas' that would turn down the 'soft stuff'." Obviously I didn't actually think that, but it's nice to keep the conversation going. Besides, I want to see how mad she gets!

She crosses her arms, "Only when it's about me."

...Ooh, I know!

"Any family?" here it comes!

She glares at me with a balled up fist, "Kid, say something I don't like!" She lightly punches my arm. It didn't hurt, but I couldn't help but say 'Oww' and rub my arm afterwards with a smile. Apparently it's contagious because her face grows a smile of her own.

The door to Fist's office abruptly opens with a very urgent looking Commander Shepard stepping out. Everyone else falls in step behind her."What is it, Commander?" Ash asks.

"The Quarian is in danger, we have to get to her before it's too late!" Huh, the Fist confrontation took less time than I thought it would. Come to think of it, I didn't even hear Wrex's shotgun...I guess I looked confused because Shepard continues, "I'll explain later, but right now, we have to go!"

I shake my head to her. Alright, let's go save ourselves a Quarian! "Lead the way, Commander!"

* * *

She actually wasn't too far away, but damn was that some fast running! I'm not even wearing any armor and yet I was all the way in the back the whole time and I'm the only one gasping for air right now. Jesus, my cardio sucks! What the hell do these people use to train their speed? Sonic the Hedgehog? I wonder if this is what being a volus feels like…

Alright, I'm getting off topic...Anyway, we reach this corner just above some steps and that's when I see the familiar scene. Three mercenaries. Two salarians, and one turian. And then of course our Damsel in Distress: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy! Well, not yet I guess. Correction: Tali'Zorah nar Rayya!

At the moment, we're just watching the scene sort of play out right now. The turian just ran his hand down Tali's right arm and she just slapped it away with disgust. The turian nods to both of the salarians and they come closer, weapons drawn out and everything. Little shit's have no idea who they're messing with. Tali brings out a grenade disk and tosses it over to them, blowing up once it got close and knocking them to the ground.

Here's where the fight begins! I bring out my pistol from its holster and get behind a storage crate for cover. Ash and Garrus both take out their sniper rifles and in two seconds the two salarians becomes headless. The last one, the turian, gets biotically pushed against the wall by Shepard, and he just doesn't get up after that.

So much for the fight…

I step out of the cover I just adopted for the moment and walk over to Tali with everyone else. Wow, how come I've never noticed the details that are on the suit during the first game? Maybe I didn't notice because of the graphics in the actual game...that would make sense, actually. Either way, the designs are really beautiful, kind of like her. I romanced Tali during my first playthrough. What can I say? The voice got to me! That's not saying much though, since I romanced basically everyone in all three games soooo…

"Fist set me up!" Our new Quarian friend exclaims, "I knew I couldn't trust him!"

"Were you hurt in the fight?" Shepard asks. It's good to know she has that paragon-ish caring side to her.

Tali grips her other arm, "I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help." She tilts her head fascinatingly at Shepard, "Who are you?"

She points to herself when replying, "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove that Saren is a traitor. Word is that you can help me with that?"

"Indeed I can Commander," she says, "Consider it as a token of my gratitude, for saving my life. But…" The Quarian engineer looks around, "not here. Perhaps somewhere more secure?"

"We could take her to Udina's office," Kaidan suggests, "He'll want to see this anyway."

"Sounds good to me." Shepard confirms with a smile. She's probably smiling because she actually found the evidence. Hell, I know I would be.

With this, we all walk towards the exit, and begin our walk over to the human embassy. So this will be my first time meeting Udina. Sounds like there are some fun times coming with that… I hope he's not as much of an asshole as he is in the game…

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry if it feels like I'm going a little too fast, I kind of just want to get the Citadel portion out of the way, to be honest. It should end after the next chapter though, so it's okay :P**

 **Anyway, I guess there's not much to say this time around so…**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed! :)**


	5. Beautiful Sights, Ugly Truths

**A/N: So sorry for the disappearance! All will be explained below... ;)**

* * *

Chapter 5: Beautiful Sights, Ugly Truths

"You're not making my life easier Shepard...Have you gone mad!?"

Well, we're off to a great start…

"Firefights in the wards, an all out assault on Chora's Den?" He turns around to face her, "Do the words 'political shit storm' mean anything to you?" He opens his mouth to continue, but it looks like he finally just noticed the amount of people with her. So far he's just about as dickish as he is in the game. Shepard just stayed calm while he vented, I'm actually surprised she didn't hit him or something.

"Who are these people?" Udina asks, slightly annoyed but with more curiosity.

She puts both hands behind her back, " _These people_ are about to help me make your day ambassador," she states, "You would have known that sooner if you hadn't jumped down my throat when we walked in."

Hmm, she sort of left one part out… "Our Quarian friend here has information linking Saren to the Geth," I add.

The ambassador's eyebrow raises, "Really?" He bows his head slightly, "I apologize for my outburst earlier. Why don't you start at the beginning, Miss…?"

All heads turn to Tali, which seems to have made her a little nervous cause she starts doing that adorable thing where she plays with her fingers. Dammit! Part of me wants to go and give her hug, but I can't!

"M-my name is Tali Zorah Nar Rayya."

Udina puts a hand under his chin, "We don't see too many quarians here on the Citadel. Why did you leave the Flotilla?"

The words leave my mouth before I can even think about whether or not it'd be a good idea. "She's probably on her pilgrimage."

This time, all eyes are on me. Damn, I can see why this made Tali nervous! She tilts her head and I can see one of her glowing eyes squint a little, "Yes, that's exactly right."

Shepard tilts her own head, "I've never heard of this pilgrimage."

Yep. Leave it to Shepard to turn every day into a school day. Tali goes on to explain what the Quarian pilgrimage is (which I relatively tune out) and leads up to how she got her evidence.

"During my travel's, I began hearing reports of Geth. Ever since they drove my people to exile, they have never ventured beyond the veil. I was getting curious, so I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world." She starts to make a couple of gestures with her hands as she continues, "I separated one from its unit, disabled it, and then removed its memory core."

"I thought the geth fried their memory core's when they died." Oh hey! Keith David! Shit do I love that man's voice. Of course, every time I hear it, I always think he's gonna yell: 'Private Allan!'

Tali nods, "Yes that's one of their defense mechanisms, but my people created the geth. If you're quick, careful, and lucky, small caches of data can sometimes be saved." She opens her omni-tool and starts pressing a bunch of stuff, "Most of the core was wiped, but I did manage to salvage something."

Saren's voice pops up, sending chills down my spine. "Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit." Yep, that's him alright...I gulp down hard unconsciously clench my fist.

"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson exclaims, almost giddily. Can you blame him, I guess? The man _did_ ruin his chances of being a Spectre. "This proves he was involved in the attack!"

Shepard slams her fist into the palm of her hand, "We've got him now."

"That's who we're up against?" I ask, might as well play the part right?

Shepard nods her head and Garrus nudges my arm, "Yeah, but don't worry, he's not so scary once you see him in person. He's got glow sticks for eyes."

I can't help but chuckle at that. It's good to know Garrus still makes jokes outside of the game, albeit that one was pretty bad, but I laughed so necking him now would be unfair...Hmm. What would necking a Turian feel like?

I hear Wrex's deep voice dig through my eardrums, "He mentioned something about a Conduit...Any guesses on what that might be?"

"Got me." Kaidan comments, "It's gotta have something to do with the beacon, some kind of Prothean technology maybe…"

"Like a weapon…?" Ashley adds. Oh, you all have no idea...It's a weapon alright, just not one that you fire.

Tali puts her hand up, "Wait. There's more...Saren wasn't working alone." A few clicks on her omni-tool and the message plays again, only this time- "and one step closer to the return of the Reapers." There's that. Hearing the name just makes my skin crawl for some reason…

The message finishes and Udina starts, "I don't recognize that other voice, the one talking about Reapers."

Hmm...I rub my head, "Why does that name sound so familiar…?"

Shepard notices this and nods, "Is that some kind of new Alien species?"

"According to the memory core," Our quarian friend says, "the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed over 50,000 years ago. The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction and then they vanished! At least...That's what the geth believe…"

Everyone's gone silent. Makes sense seeing as how they were just told how the last galactic civilization was wiped out...Anyway, the room remains quiet until Udina breaks it, "Sounds a little far-fetched to me." He says crossing his arms.

"No, it's not," Shepard denies, "The vision on Eden Prime. I think I'm starting to make something out of it…"

…

Oh shit! Right! I'm not supposed to know she got the vision too...Better say something I guess, speed things along. I slap on my best confuzzled face, "Wait, so you saw something too?"

She turns to me and so does everybody else by the looks of it, "Yeah. Why? Did you see something?"

I nod my head slowly. I suppose it's time I told them something that wasn't necessarily a lie. I gulp down hard, close my eyes, and proceed to explain what I saw, "There was a lot of screaming, gunfire, death...A people on some planet I don't recognize being slaughtered." I clutch my head unconsciously, "It was horrible. It was almost as if I could see them, smell them even! I could _feel_ how scared they were…"

I sense a hand touch my shoulder, ripping me away from the memory. It was Ash, with a very concerned look on her face. It seems to be shared amongst everyone else in the room, save for Wrex who just stayed with the same expression he's had since Shepard picked him up. I only realize now that I was hyperventilating and my heartbeat was beating abnormally fast. I had no idea this would affect me this much...How did Shepard handle this in the game as if it was nothing? I shake my head at the Chief with a small smile and finish, "Anyway, on top of it all was this machine. It all happened so fast so I didn't really get a good look at it, though…"

Shepard's concerned face turns into a thinking one, "I understand it now. The beacon was showing us the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers."

Tali cuts in to explain once more, "The Geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring them back."

Udina chuckles to himself, "Oh the council is just going to love this…"

Well, he's an asshole alright, but then again that's kind of expected already, I mean he _is_ a politician. Just you wait, Andersen will give you the punchline eventually…

"The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space," Shepard proclaims, "We have to tell them."

Aaaaaand tune out!

They eventually decide it's best to just tell them about the audio files first to prove Saren's a traitor and that they'll worry about convincing the Council of the Reapers some other time, as they won't believe shit without evidence. Anyway, after Tali asks to Join the crew and Shepard accepts, Udina says she can only bring two members of her crew with her. I don't recall him ever saying she was restricted to a few squadmates before in the game, but then again, in the game you could only bring two squad mates anyway, so I suppose it works itself out.

"So, Commander," Ash starts, "Who's coming with you?"

Shepard responds, "Tali is the one with the data, so she comes automatically. I hope that's okay with you, Tali?" Tali nods (as if she would do anything else!), "And Kaidan will come as well."

Gotta say I'm kind of glad it's not me. As much as I'd like to see Shepard become one of the galaxies biggest agents, I think I'd much rather see the Normandy...Aaaaah the Normandy…

Oh shit, am I smiling too big?

Kaidan steps forward, "Uh, if it's alright with you, Commander, I'd like to bring Marcus back to the ship. Judging from everything he's been through in recent events, and now that we know he received some sort of vision too," he adds, "I think it's best if Doctor Chakwas takes a look at him."

"Good idea." Shepard says, "In that case, why don't you escort our new crew members as well? Help them get acquainted while you're at it." He answers back with an 'Aye Mam.' "Williams, you're with me then."

"Sounds good to me." Ash states. Shepard dismisses everyone, saying she'll see us when she gets back to the ship. "Take care of him, LT." Ash says before walking out the door with Shepard and Tali.

You know, it feels really nice to be concerned about. I mean yeah it can be annoying sometimes, but it's nice to know that they at least care. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside…

"So…" Kaidan says stepping in front Wrex, Garrus, and I, "Let's get going, ey?"

…

Oh right, he's Canadian…

* * *

The three of us make our way towards the elevator rather quietly, at least I'm not really paying too much attention if they aren't. Instead, my attention is put to focus elsewhere, like observing just how amazing the Citadel looks. Aside from the monuments and the conduit in the back there, the environment of the presidium looks pretty basic. But it's the colorful characters walking around that truly make it a sight to see.

We move down a couple of steps and I find myself in awe of everything happening around me. All of the different lives going on around me, some spanning up to hundreds of years longer than mine will ever be. The thought of it is just incredible! I can't help but smile over the sheer beauty and excitement of being here. Before I even realize it, we're already in the elevator.

Wrex takes up a good portion of the left side of the elevator, so Kaidan, Garrus, and I kinda just squeeze a little on the right side. The doors close and I feel the elevator begin to move, slowly at first, but then silent as a mouse on the way up. I couldn't help but think about the elevators at work, where in a building with only two floors, it takes 5 minutes to go up or down. Seriously, I counted!

The space around the elevator has been silent for a good minute so far, save for the passive elevator music filling in the background. "This your first time on the Citadel?" A flanging voice behind me asks.

I guess Garrus decided to be the one to fill the silence, huh? I turn to face him, "What gave me away?" I say chuckling.

"Well, I've lived on the Citadel for a long time now," he says, "After seeing countless people with that same look on their face: eyes wide open, mouth agape; sooner or later you start to notice a pattern." He finishes with what I can only describe to be a slight smirk.

"I've gotta say, that's pretty observant of you."

"Have to be, being a C-Sec investigator and all." he says matter-of-factly.

I raise my eyebrows, "You're a detective here?" Part of me feels strange having to play dumb like this, but I suppose it's better than admitting I know more about him than anyone on the Citadel…

"That's right."

"No wonder you could pull off a shot like you did on that guy in the clinic."

He chuckles, "Well not all of it was C-Sec, but it's always nice to be acknowledged."

Seriously, a second later and I might have a few punches on my face. Then again, I suppose Shepard would have come and saved the day if that were the case. My hand goes to my waist and absent-mindedly touches the pistol. Oh right, this is Garrus'. I remove it from its holster and extend it out to him, "This is yours. Thanks for letting me use it."

He grasps the pistol from my hand, "Of course! We're a team now, gotta work together right?" I nod in response, and before I open my mouth to say something, he continues, "Actually, I don't think we've been properly introduced have we?" He places his arm across his chest and bows his head slight as he 'introduces himself, "Garrus Vakarian."

"Marcus Redfeild." I greet back with a smile. "I look forward to working with you Garrus."

He nods his head, "Likewise."

"You won't last a day out there…" A voice deeper than the pit in "300" decided to comment.

I turn my head towards Wrex. He had his arms crossed and was just staring out the window. He must have felt my staring at him because his eyes suddenly flick over to me. The stare alone gave me goosebumps and a chill went up my spine.

"There's no need to be an ass, Wrex," Garrus states, "besides, he's been doing well so far for someone with no combat experience."

My confidence boosts up and I unconsciously let out a smile. "Only because we've been covering for him, I saw him back at the club. He's weak, untrained, and it's just a matter of time before he gets someone killed." Wrex turns back towards the glass, "He's dead weight." Well so much for confidence...what the hell am I even doing here?

A hand gets placed on my shoulder, "He's untrained now, but that doesn't mean he can't be taught." Kaidan says as I turn to him, "The Normandy is equipped with all sorts of training equipment, and you've got plenty of volunteers to help you."

"Just stay out of my way..." Wrex quietly warns.

"Like it or not, Wrex," I say with as much confidence as I can muster, "you're gonna have to get used to the fact that I'm part of this team too." I stop for a second to find the right words before continuing, "...but I promise, I'll do the best I can to earn your trust and approval."

Wrex just grunts basically saying that he's done with this conversation.

Garrus steps towards Kaidan with what looks like a gleam in his eye, "What kind of training equipment do you have exactly?"

Just as he says this, the elevator door opens, and a sly grin appears on the Lieutenant's face, "It might be better if I just show you..." Oh god, the anticipation and giddiness is getting to me. I'm about to see... "Gentleman, say hello to the SSV Normandy."

* * *

 **A/N: Again, I apologize for the delay in this story. The details of why aren't important, but I am back and I'm ready to continue this Fic! I will be releasing one chapter every Tuesday and we'll just see how things pan out.**

 **Anyway, til next time, see ya! :)**


	6. First Day on the Normandy

**A/N: Eh? It has been one week, right? lol Thanks for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6: First Day on the Normandy

I release a breath of air as the assault rifle overheats. The kickback from the rifle made my arm sore so I began rubbing it with my free arm. Ash is teaching me how to shoot weapons more than just a pistol, so we're in the shooting range right now, which I have to say is just REALLY cool! They never had a shooting range in the game so this was a welcome change. That's not all that's different, though.

Kaidan brought us all into the Normandy and gave us the tour around the ship. I wanted to go say hello to Joker but he seemed busy with something and I didn't want to stray away from everyone else. After passing by the first deck (which there are actually three), He showed us his workplace as well as the medical bay and the captain's quarters. As far as sustenance goes, he mentioned that there was a machine next to the sink for food. He continued to show us the rest of the ship eventually leading us to the living quarters, weight room (really cool that they have this!), and then finally the engineering deck. Kaidan basically said to just pick a spot, so Wrex just took one glance at the crates by the armory and then walked over, while Garrus almost jumped towards the mako. I couldn't help but smile at them. Even if Wrex was an absolute dick earlier, I still know who he is, and I respect his opinion. It was definitely nice to see them in their usual spots for some reason. It brought a strange kind of comfort...

Before I could pick a spot for myself, Kaidan grabs my arm and basically says: "Nuh uh brah, you're goin' to the doctah!" Only you know, more professional...So with that, he took me to Chakwas and I was formerly introduced to her. She was really nice, just as she is in the game, but every time I heard her speak I couldn't help but think of her as the Locust Queen from Gears of War...After a couple of hours of running a few tests on my brain, she said that everything seemed to have returned back to normal. It wasn't showing anything out of the ordinary at this time. When Kaidan asked why I was unconscious longer than Shepard, she said it could be because of the fact that I'm younger, or maybe Shepard is more strong-minded than I am, there's no way to know for sure. It was around this time that Shepard's speech on the intercom took place. It was a very heroic speech, one that included all species and fighting for the greater good. It was quite inspirational which is just one of Shepard's many talents!

Chakwas said she'd analyze both mine and Shepard's results and see if she can find anything that could help us explain what we saw, not that it would help since we just need to find Liara and everything will be peachy, but whatever. She said I should take the day off and get some rest. While that would be the ideal thing to do, maybe it's because I'm too excited by being on the Normandy, but I don't feel tired at all yet! So after I left with Kaidan, he said he had some work to take care of and walked off. Then I thought: "I wonder what Ash is doing?" Thinking this, I got into the elevator and went down into engineering/cargo bay and asked her if she would be willing to teach me a couple of things before she turned in for the day. She agreed to it and eventually we got here...

"You're letting it run wild," she states, "you have to control the rifle, not let it control _you._ "

I glare at her, "Okay, I have no idea what you mean when you say that."

She rolls her eyes, "It means you need to make sure you're the one guiding it."

I point down range, "But I'm hitting all my targets, so what's the big deal?"

She crosses her arms, "Yeah, you're hitting them, though you're taking a long time to fire and that's okay right now. But when we go out on a mission, you won't have that time to breathe and stay calm." She gets uncomfortably closer to me, almost right in my face. "When the bullets start flying, you're gonna need to control the kickback of the weapon. Otherwise, you're not gonna hit shit and you might end up getting yourself or someone else killed."

Her words echo through me as that realization hits me...she's right. I have to get better at that sort of thing if I want to make it through this. I raise my weapon with renewed purpose and aim down the sight. "That's it," she says correcting the positions of my arms, "now lean into the stock and spray into the target area."

I do as she says and hold the trigger down releasing the full firepower of the assault rifle. To be honest I can barely see the target as I'm doing this. I'm too focused on making sure it stays in one place. It feels kind of similar to practicing my AK spray in CS:GO...As the gun overheats, I release a breath of air and put the gun down. Now let's see...

...

I only hit the target six times?

I groan and facepalm with one hand. But I was so sure I got it all in the target area...

Ash chuckled at my reaction, "Damn! You suck at this," she puts a hand on my shoulder, "but with more practice you'll get better."

My pride getting the better of me I say, "Oh yeah? Like you can do better!"

She seems to scoff at this and grabs my rifle, in about 2 seconds she's already firing down range and I immediately duck down covering my head. Once the bullets stop flying, I slowly peeked my head up and checked the range.

She...She got all of them in the target area...

I turn my head to her with my mouth agape. She had one hand on her waist (which she was leaning towards), and the other shouldering the rifle, with the cockiest grin I've ever seen. I squint my eyes at her, "Show off..."

As she laughs, I hear footsteps come up behind us and I turn towards them. Ash stops laughing and gets a little weary.

"Oh hey, Garrus."

He raises his hand at me, "Hey, Marcus." He eyes Ashley, "Chief Williams." She simply just nods to him, "Doing some target practice?"

I look at Ash, who seems to be rather uncomfortable with Garrus' presence, before responding, "Actually, it's weapon training. Ash thought it would good for me to learn how to use other weapons besides a pistol..." I scratch the back of my head, "...which, of course, is still something I need to work on as well."

A small laugh escapes him, "No arguments there." He walks up to my station and looks to my target, "that's your target?" I nod and he bursts into laughter, "I'm sorry! I'm...sorry...but that's just pathetic!" he says in between laughs.

Honestly, I couldn't help but laugh too, "Come on man, don't be an ass! I'm still learning!" I gesture towards the chief, "bad enough I got the gunnery chief showing me up here!"

Garrus glances towards Ash's target, "Whooaa, now that's actually pretty good." Ash raises an eyebrow, pretty sure it's because he said "'pretty' good." Garrus turns to me and winks. Hmm? "Of course, I could hit a shot like that when I was 16." Oh okay, I see what's he's doing now...

Ashley scoffs at his comment. Uh oh... "Is that a challenge I hear?"

"It might be." He simply states.

"Alright, choose a weapon and challenge. I'd be more than happy to accept."

I notice one of Garrus' mandible's pull back, which I guess means he's smirking? Wow, you can cut the tension here with a knife!

After them staring at each other for what seemed like hours, Garrus shrugged. "It's getting late and I haven't had dinner yet, so how about we do this another time?"

As if on cue, my stomach grumbles, "I second that idea." Ash half-heartedly agrees to it. I think she really wanted to shut him up and show what she can do, which I am down for because the friendly sport of competition brings people closer together. And in Ash's case, that could really help her xenophobia...We all leave the shooting range and head towards the elevator. After a ride of silence, we each exit out the lift and turn the corner to the cafeteria.

Oh, looks like Tali is already here and Kaidan is at his workstation. I wonder if he's still working on whatever it was he was doing before...Shepard must be doing some leader type duties or whatever and Wrex must be...leaning on the crates in the hangar bay?

"Hi, Tali!" I greet with a little more enthusiasm than I meant. I can already feel Garrus and Ashley staring at me funny.

She stutters in response, "U-um...hi."

I clear my throat, "You mind if I sit down here?"

She leans back a little and then shakes her head. I proceed to take my seat across from her as Garrus sits in the one next to her. Ash passes us and says, "I'm gonna grab some food real quick."

"Oh, could you get me something?" Garrus asks from across the room.

"Sorry, no dextro food."

Riiiight, I forgot about that, Garrus and Tali can't eat the same food as us. Well, that sucks...Garrus seems to slump down on the table. "Sorry, Garrus I guess no one really thought about that before we left the Citadel," I say.

"Nah, it's cool. Missing a meal won't be the death of me." He says trying to sound as convincing as possible. But I can see right through you detective... "I'll just talk to Shepard about ordering a shipment of dextro food."

"Umm..." Tali mumbles, "I bought some before coming aboard. I don't know what you like exactly, but you're free to have some of mine if you'd like." She offers him what looks like a tube of paste. Is it strange that I actually want to try it?

He takes the tube and inspects it, "Not exactly a 'save the galaxy' type of dinner, but why not?" I smile as he pops open the tube, "Thank you, Tali."

She turns away and makes eye contact with me before turning away again, "Yes, o-of course." She seems to be shy or just not used to all the kindness I guess? I always hated how people treated Quarians in the game. As if they don't have a right to be somewhere and for no god damn reason too. It makes my blood boil.

I hear a seat get pulled up next to mine and as it turns out, it's Ash! She places her plate of food down, which just looks like a type of sandwich and takes a seat. "Oh, that reminds me," I say, pointing to her food, "my turn to get _comida_." As I make my way over to the fridge, I hear a blunder of voices asking pretty much the same thing: "to get what? or what did you say?" I reach the food machine and respond, "My family originates from Brazil, so I know and understand a little bit of Portuguese."

Hmm. How does this food machine even work? I click on the screen and make a list of the selection of choices. There are no pictures and all of these are names that I don't know, except for one...Milk and Cereal. Good to know that hasn't changed at least! I click on it and choose random for the type of cereal and milk, 'cause I didn't know the types of those either. The machine dispenses my dinner, even adding a bowl and spoon to go along with it. Man, the future sure makes people lazy huh?

I grab my dinner and turn towards Kaidan. "Hey, we're all over here just chatting before we hit the sack, so you wanna come join us?"

He eyes me and then glances over to the crew at the table. "Tempting offer," he says with a smile, "but I have to make sure this message gets sent." I tilt my head, what message? "it's personal." he answers as if he was able to read my thoughts.

"Alright," I reply with a smile, "suit yourself." I make my way back to the table and start eating.

"So, you're Brazilian, huh?" Ash asks.

I shake my head as I scarf down another spoonful of cereal. "You look a little too white, to be honest."

After swallowing down my food, I say, "Well, I never went outside much. I lived in Florida, but I always hated doing things outside. I preferred staying indoors and just being on the computer or something, you know?"

"Oooh, so you're a computer geek?"

Hold on now! I open my mouth to reply, but I stop in place. Yeah, I guess I am, whatever! May as well accept it. I shake my head with a big ol' smile. Ashley was laughing her ass off while Garrus and Tali looked sort of puzzled...I think. I don't know, it's hard to tell sometimes...

Our heads all turn to the med bay door opening and Dr. Chakwas steps out, "Mr. Redfeild? Can I see you in here for a moment?"

I stare down to my bowl of cereal. I haven't finished yet, but I don't wanna be rude... "Sure, just a minute." I grab my bowl and drink the rest of the cereal and milk. My teammates around the table just stare at me in awe. With a smile, I wipe my mouth and wave them goodbye, "See ya guys later and have a good night!"

I enter the med bay, the door producing a hiss as it closes behind me. "So what do you need me for, doc?"

She extends her hand, gesturing for me to give her my arm. I wonder what she's doing...I give her my arm and she holds up a scanner right above it. "What's that for?" I ask.

She squints her eyes at the computer monitor before replying, "I'm trying to scan your omni-tool into the system so I can have your vital signs in the Normandy's systems at all times." My omni-tool? I don't have a- suddenly an orange glow surrounds my arm. "There it is!" She states with enthusiasm, "It would have been much easier if you just opened the damn thing." I can't help but chuckle nervously.

Oh, my god! This is an omni-tool! On _my_ arm! It's there, I can actually feel it there! I poke the sides of it as I respond, "Sorry...um, how do I open it again?" She raises an eyebrow, "I just got this one a little while ago, so I'm not totally familiar with its functions..." Hopefully, that will be a good enough excuse.

"It opens just like the last models do." She points to her wrist and then to her head as she explains, "the chip for the omni-tool is implanted into your wrist where it then gets controlled by your thoughts. Simply imagine it on your arm and then once you're done using it, it will know to blink out of sight." Wow! That's even cooler than I thought it would be! Okay now, let's see... Show yourself, omni-tool! It proceeds to blink on in my arm and I let out a little giggle as it does. I can't believe that actually works that way!

"Anyway," Chakwas begins, "We're done here. If you wish to leave, you may."

"Okay! Thanks, Doctor!" I start making my way towards the door...Hmm. I feel like if I leave now, it would be a little rude, no? "Hey, Doctor Chakwas?"

The good doctor spins and faces me, "Yes, child?"

"Did you find anything strange about the data you collected from me and the Commander?"

Her eyes widen, "Oh yes, actually. Though it goes back to our original conversation before." She brings up a few pictures on her screen as I make my way back to her, "The test I ran when both you and Shepard were unconscious seem to be an exact match to each other."

"So? Is that not good?"

She turns her head to me, "It's scientifically impossible. You two only just met, so there wasn't an emotional connection involved, and for two individuals to have the _exact_ dream?" she shakes her head, "Well, _almost_ exactly the same."

I raise an eyebrow to her, "What do you mean?"

She clicks a few things on her keyboard and I see two sets of waves. Oh shit, wait a minute... "The two of them are mirrored from each other," she points to a certain spike on each photo, "notice the similarities between the two?"

"It's like their reflecting upon each other." This is some crazy shit! I certainly wasn't expecting this..."So what does that mean exactly?"

She shrugs, "I don't know for sure, but I believe they can be connected." The good doctor joins her hands together, "As if they're two parts of one whole message."

I stand up straight, not taking my eyes off the screen and let out a sigh. How strange is this? So we both received the beacon, just different sections of it? I guess I know what would have happened if Kaidan or Ashley touched Shepard in the game...

"I wouldn't take that theory to heart, however," she mentions as he turns the monitor off, "you should go, get some rest okay?"

I nod to her and make my way out. I suppose it isn't something I should focus on now, better to wait til' we pick up Liara first. The med bay door whooshes open and as I step out I notice everyone isn't around in the cafeteria anymore. They probably all went to sleep, but how long was I in there? I glance to my right and notice Shepard at Kaidan's workstation. Talking rather late aren't we...? A devilish grin spreads across my face. Don't let me interrupt you now, I'm just gonna slip by and-

"Marcus!" I stop dead in my tracks. Looks like she spotted me...I turn to face her and she beckons me over, "Could you come here for a sec? I could use another opinion."

Oh, I guess they must be talking about the mission. Bummer... "Yeah, sure." I make my way over to them, "What's up?"

She hands me a data pad with what looks like a layout of the Artemis Tau Cluster. I guess we are going after Liara first! "We've been informed that Matriarch Benezia's daughter is currently in this cluster, but we don't know which system she's in exactly." She points to each section, "It could be Athens, Knossos, Macedon, or Sparta." She gestures to Kaidan, "The lieutenant believes we should check by each system and scan for any geth activity, starting with Athens. What do you think?"

My eyes meet Kaidan's and then back to Shepard and the data pad. Okay, I need to be real convincing about this, because if I don't we're gonna wander around with our thumbs up our asses, while Liara stays trapped in a barrier. "Um, that's not a bad idea, but I think we should start in the Knossos system first."

"Why's that?" the red headed Spectre asks.

I rub the bottom of my chin, where a little bit of stubble was beginning to take place. "To be honest, I can just feel it in my gut. Maybe I'm wrong, but what does it hurt if we start there?"

Shepard and Kaidan both look at each other before finally saying, "Okay. I'll tell Joker to plot a course for the Knossos system. We should be there in around 13 hours." She puts the data pad under her arm as she lets them fall to her sides, "In the meantime, you two should go get some sleep. Especially you, Marcus. " I mean I was unconscious for 21 hours before this but, hey, you're the boss.

I grin and give my best ROTC salute, "Yes, mam!" She just rolls her eyes and walks away after waving bye to Kaidan, who had a very questionable look in his eye...After that, the two of us walk down the hallway and enter the elevator. We were both standing side by side facing the elevator door as it descended to the third deck. I look to the Lieutenant and notice the big smile he has on right now, "she makes you that happy, huh?" I quietly mumble.

He turns to me, with his eyes wide open, "Sorry?" Oh crap, I didn't mean to say it loud enough for him to hear it...oh well!

"Come on, the Commander?" I elbow him on the side, "I see the way you look at her."

He leans back and laughs, "What? Shepard? Don't be ridiculous. I mean, we talk and whatnot, but she's my commanding officer..."

I cross my arms, "So?" he glares at me, "I'm just sayin' it when you're on the ship, you guys are friend's right? So ranks shouldn't be a problem when it comes to stuff like that. Besides, she seems like she's into you..."

He turns his head to me with what looks like a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "Really?" I nod my head, "Well...Even if she does, it might be an issue when we're out on a mission."

Commander Shepard putting her feelings before the sake of the mission? Don't make me laugh Kaidan! She's much stronger than that! "I'm sure Shepard will be able to stay professional during times like that. So it's really up to you at that point."

He sighs and bows his head as if he's deep in thought. "This elevator goes really slow..." he quietly mentions.

He and I burst out laughing after he says this and just as the laughter dies down, the elevator doors open. We both step out and make our way over to the living quarters. Before I went in, Kaidan showed me where I can shower and where to put my dirty clothes. I thanked him and he said he'd have some fresh ones waiting for me once I got out of the shower. Today has been a pretty productive day, though so much has happened that it almost seems unreal...

I lay my head against the wall underneath the shower-head and just embrace the feeling of the water trickle down my back. This is real...I still can't begin to fathom the situation. I feel like this is just some lucid dream that I'm eventually just going to wake up from. But this...I feel the water collect in the palm of my hand and let the other feel the metallic wall of shower space. This feels too real...Best not to think about it now...

After I'm done showering, I wrap myself in a towel (which they have a dispenser for) and exit the shower space. The clothes Kaidan mentioned lay on the counter next to me. It's just a regular Tee, with underwear, pants, and a belt to go with it. Thank god there's a belt, otherwise, I'm not sure the pants would fit too well. I put on the clothes and to my surprise, they fit pretty well. I make my way over to the living quarters and notice the sleeping arrangements. Wrex is sleeping in a bed in the back away from everyone else's (makes sense since he's much bigger than everyone else), Garrus is sleeping on the bottom bunk of another crew-mate, while Kaidan rests on top of an empty bunk. Guess the bottom one is mine then. Thinking this, I drag myself over to the bed and settle into it. It appears I was more exhausted than I thought because it doesn't take long for... me to...

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was supposed to be a bit longer but, I thought it'd be better to finish it in the next one so that it wasn't too much conversation bunched up into a single chapter you know?**

 **So thanks for stopping by. I know you don't have to, but please leave a review if you can. I love hearing from you guys, and I highly welcome criticism because I would love to make this story better in any possible way! :)**

 **Anyway, til next time, see ya!**


	7. A Sleepless Night

**A/N : Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites guys! :)**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter 7: A Sleepless Night

 _The vision replays in my head, almost as if it's digging through and around my skull. The images of everyone dying, everything burning to the ground and getting processed, it flies rapidly through my mind. Until, finally, I see the child holding the world above his hands again. Everything fades to black as the pain refuses to stop and a quiet word presents itself._

 _"Wake up."_

* * *

My eyes open instantly with a gasp of breath as my body lifts itself from the bed. Oh shit...Oh shit...oh shit...breathe Marcus...Breathe. You're okay, you're on the Normandy, you're fine. Jesus Christ...what time is it? I open my omni-tool and look around the tool for the clock. Where the hell is it? I rotate my arm a little until I see the time.

3:21...Damn. You're telling me I only barely got 3 hours of sleep? I let out a sigh as the omni-tool blinks away.

My hands are shaking. My head is throbbing and my stomach feels like it's about to explode. I am terrified right about now...Wait. What's that smell? It's only then that I realize, I wet the fucking bed...Great start, Marcus...How fucking embarrassing...*sigh* guess I better put my clothes and these sheets to wash. I collect the soaked sheets and make my way over to the bathroom where the washing/drying machine are located. Before I take off my clothes, I raid Kaidan's wardrobe and grab another set of pants and underwear, as well as a clean shirt. I finish putting everything inside the machine and suddenly find myself in the elevator.

I can't really go back to sleep. No matter how much I'd like to, the feeling from that vision just makes me want to hurl. It's almost 4:00, so I may as well stay up and grab something to eat, or maybe drink some coffee, it might help take the edge off. Thinking this, I unconsciously grab my hand which seemed to be shaking. Jesus Christ...What the fuck is this doing to me?

The elevator door opens and I slowly step out of it, turning the corner to reach the mess hall. Oh? There's someone here. I step in further until the figure comes into full view. She had a cup of coffee in front of her. Her crimson red hair was messy, with her fingers running through it as her face gets held in her hands. "Shepard?" I ask. She looks up at me with a surprised expression in her eyes. She probably wasn't expecting to see anyone up this late besides the ones on the midnight shift...None of the ground crew I mean. I turn side to side to make sure there was nobody else around, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

The Commander, with a sigh, slowly shakes her head, "Nope, just me here." She looks me up and down, "You know, when I say: 'get some rest,' I don't mean: 'stay up all night.'"

I laugh at her comment, "Yeah I know. I tried, seriously, I did. But—" I stop myself before finishing. Should I tell her about the vision keeping me up? I don't want to look weak in front of her, _especially_ her... "I guess I'm just too excited, you know, being here and all."

She smiles, "Yeah it is pretty amazing..." she trails off at the end there. That sounded kind of half-assed..."Well, since you're here, you want some coffee? I just made a fresh pot." She states pointing to the pot.

Coffee made by Commander Shepard? Man this is just too good! "Yeah sure, alright." I make my way over to the pot, grab a cup and pour some into it. I grab a bottle of what says 'milk' and pour a little bit of that there too. I've always loved drinking coffee. It was a good way to calm myself down, but the only strange problem I had with that was, I could never drink it hot. I hate the feeling of a burnt' tongue, so I always have to drink it with either a few ice cubes or milk. Once the coffee is ready to drink I move back over to where Shepard was sitting and take the seat across from her.

"So I take it you've been on ships often?" I ask her. This is my chance to actually get to know her back story. I mean, I could probably google it or something and find out like that but, I'd rather hear from her...wait does google even exist here?

She releases a breath of air with a smirk before answering, "Oh yeah. My parents were serving in the Alliance as I was growing up." Hmm...A spacer kid, huh? "So I spent a lot of my childhood going star-ship to star-ship." She takes a sip from her coffee, "What about you? I assume the shuttle you took to get to Eden Prime wasn't as glorious as the Normandy?"

My eyes go wide for a brief moment, not knowing what to say. I keep forgetting they found me on Eden Prime, but I didn't grow up there. Okay, uuuuhhhh, laugh! I burst out laughing which seems to take her by surprise. Okay, you don't want to scare her, tone it down...I clear my throat with a smile, "Yeah, th-that's an understatement." Alright, say something else to avoid anymore suspicion, "I mean, the shuttle over there was cool and all, but this is like an actual military vessel, you know? Way cooler!"

She chuckles at my comment. Good, as long as she doesn't get any ideas about me coming from a different universe, I'll be happy. I take a sip of the coffee I was still holding in my hand. I almost immediately spit it out as the bitter taste engulfs my tongue, "Oh god, that's horrible!" I proclaim, forgetting that the person that made the coffee was sitting right across from me...

"Gee, thanks." she simply says, "Is it really that bad?"

I gag a couple of times to try to get the taste out of my mouth before responding, "Yeah, I'm sorry, but this is _pretty_ bad." I put the coffee back on the table. "I don't mean any disrespect, but this is as bad as I'd expect Rachel's coffee to be."

She gets a puzzled expression on her face, "Who's Rachel?" She raises an eyebrow as a smug grin spreads across her lips, "Is it a girlfriend of yours?"

"I wish," I flat out say with a smile, "No, she's this character on a show called 'Friends' that my family would watch all the time back at home." Her eyes go wide in understanding, "The actress is long gone now, being that the show ran like a million years ago. But even so, I'm not sure it would have worked out between us."

The first human Spectre laughs, "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Well, I don't know about personality wise, but she's not a redhead." I lean closer to the table, "I have like a weakness for red hair, I don't know why..." I look up to her face and find the biggest grin I've seen get on her face...Oh shit, she's a redhead! I forgot! "Oh no no no, I'm not talking about _you_ per say, I'm talking about redheads in general." She leans back and crosses her arms, "But I'm not talking about _you_ , though. Even though _you_ have red hair...and um..."

The grin on her face grows even more, "How come _I_ don't categorize there?" Apparently, the next face I make seems to make her literally laugh out loud. "Relax," she says after calming herself down, "I'm only teasing you." She takes a sip of that awful coffee she made, "You're...not my type."

Riiight, I know who _your_ type is Commander..."Right, well I believe that's enough embarrassment for one night, huh?" I get up, throw away my coffee and move back to the sitting area, but still standing up to leave, "I think I'm going to try to get some sleep again. Gotta stay sharp if I'm going to be on that mission tomorrow."

Just as I'm about to get moving, her voice stops me, "Oh hey, Marcus, I've been...thinking about that." I turn to her, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to come on the mission tomorrow."

"What?" I slump my shoulders. "Why not?"

She lets out a very audible sigh before explaining, "On our mission to Eden Prime, when Kaidan and I hit the ground, we had another soldier with us." she begins, "His name was Jenkins. He was just a little older than you. He was reckless and in some ways, unprofessional. But he had heart, and he cared about the Alliance as well as the people it serves." She pinches the bridge of her nose before continuing, "Despite his training and serving on the Normandy, he was killed by a geth recon drone within the first 5 minutes of the mission." Her face visibly changes for about a second, so quick it was hardly noticeable. I had no idea Jenkins death affected her like this..."My point is, despite the fact that he had military training, the geth killed him. You have _no_ military training, whatsoever. To be honest, I'm surprised you made it through Eden Prime at all." She admitted.

I cross my arms and lean back slightly. "If that's the case, then why'd you let me come with you when you first met me?" she bows her head. "Alright, look, that doesn't matter. I'm sorry about your crew member, Shepard, I am. But I was there when you took me in, and yeah I wasn't exactly Rambo, but I managed to stay alive and help." There's a two-second pause before I continue, "Ash is teaching me some things about how to use weapons and equipment and things like that. Okay, I'm learning..."

She seems to be deep in thought. I don't want to have to stay here when they go get Liara. Sooner or later, she's going to have to trust that I can do this...

"Please...I _have_ to do this."

She raises her head with what looks like...shock? She stares right into my eyes for a good while before responding with a heavy sigh.

"Okay. You can come." She says. YES! I'm going to Therum! "But only if Williams gives the okay for you to go."

Alright, yeah that seems reasonable. "Yeah, sure, of course!"

She nods with the knowledge of knowing I understand her. "Good. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

I start walking off but, again, I stop, "Are you going back to sleep soon?" I ask. Her eyebrow raises up, "I'm only asking because, there's no way I'm going to go back to sleep, so if you're up for it." I take a step closer in her direction, "Maybe, you can teach me some things? Maybe help keep me alive tomorrow?" I say with a faint chuckle at the end.

She ponders the thought for a moment before smiling and downing the rest of her coffee. "Lead the way."

A grin spreads across my face as she joins my walk towards the elevator. It's only now that I realize just how short she is...She's like a bit taller than me, but not by much. I'm 5'7-5'8 last time I checked. She's probably like two inches taller? As we step into the elevator, I turn to her, "Listen, next time we get the chance. I'm gonna show you how to make some really good coffee, alright?"

She shrugs, "Oh, you're just a baby!"

"Oh no, trust me," I begin, "my coffee is much better than that swill you just drank."

The elevator doors closed and we just laughed and talked a bit more as the platform descended.

* * *

I guess the conversation helped speed things along because we got there faster than expected. I didn't think speaking to her would be this easy. It almost feels pretty natural...Although I have been told I am a good conversationalist. Even if it was my mom who said it to make me feel better...

We step out of the elevator and head over to the training room. It's here that she decides that instead of weapon training like Ash did with me, we would do armor training. She presses a button on the wall as a row of suits extend out on what looks like coats on hangers. "We'll start you off on the light armor." I nod and take the suit she has presented me. It looks a lot like Kaidan's armor in the first game. The standard gray. I slip myself into it as she assists in putting on the armor pieces. Once it's all on, I start to feel the weight of this thing. If this is light armor, then I am a fucking weakling, 'cause this shit is heavy! "How's it fit?" she asks.

I move my shoulders around trying to stretch out the muscles, "Not bad, kind of heavy to be honest, but I'll get used to it I suppose."

"Yeah that's usually how it works," She beckons me with her hand, "come on, follow me." She leads me over to what looks like a long pathway and a figure holding a blaster at the end of it. "This is one of the ways we train a soldier's mobility in combat. You have to be able to move quick under fire, so I want you run towards the dummy. You'll have some shields, but even those run out sooner or later." Yeah, I've had some practice with that..."Dodge as many hits as you can until you reach the end." I nod in understanding, "Alright," she says, "good luck!"

She pushes me into the walkway as I suddenly see the dummy raise the rifle downrange. I turn for a second back to her with a glare, "Was that really necessary?" I ask, but she just answers by waving her hand forward and mouthing the word 'go!' Alright, I can do this! I start running down the path as best as I can. Wow, this suit is _really_ making me slower! I see the dummy fire off a couple of shots and I jump to the left dodging all of his shots. Well, 'jump' would be the wrong word for it, more like falling. I drop on the floor, effectively dodging the blast, only realizing I've made it worse for myself because it's much more difficult to get up. Come on, dammit! I put all my strength into my legs as I struggle to get up, but it's too late. I feel the shots impact my shields and I hear the indicator saying that they have been depleted. Shit...I lost.

"Well, that sucked," I hear Shepard say right behind me. I turn back to her, already feeling lightheaded, "Let's try it again, hmm?" she asks. I nod and get back into the starting line. I have to prove that I can do this. I _know_ I can do this! I step past the line and start the sprint. 3 times attempts after that one and I wind up failing on all of them. After that, I was laid out on the floor with my arms and legs spread out as I gasped for air. "I'm starting to think you'll _never_ get this." she states while laughing a little bit.

This puts a rage inside me for some reason. I hate to lose, it's something my family members all have in common. I try not to be so competitive, but if it's something I know I can do, it tends to flare up. I grit my teeth, "It's this fucking armor," I say as I stand up and begin taking it off. "This whole time we've been in combat, I've always only had shields, so that's what I'm going to do."

Just as I say this, I'm already out of the suit and Shepard speaks up, "So you're voluntarily not putting on any armor?" I nod my head, "You're crazy. I mean it's not unheard of, but the people who do usually have a lot more experience than you do."

I slip on a shield harness and grin as I get into a running position, "It's worked for me well so far." With this, I dash back into the path before she can object further. Maybe it's because of the armor, but I feel _much_ lighter now. I've already covered more than my past distances before I see the dummy's rifle pointed at me. Okay, here we go! He fires his first set of shots and I slide to the right, dodging the shots but still keeping my momentum. I've reached the halfway mark by now. Almost there! It fires its second set but I dodge those too still keeping my momentum. As I get closer to it, its shots become more frequent and I get hit a couple of times, but not enough to drop my shields. At this point, he's right in front of me as he fires his last set of shots. It's too close for me to move to the left or right. With a grunt, I get down and slide underneath the barrage of bullets, reaching the dummy and tapping the back of his leg, clearing the exercise. Now I sit there, purple faced and trying to catch my breath.

"Wow!" I hear a voice down the way, "You actually managed to do it. I didn't realize you were that fast!"

I don't cosplay as Kid Flash for nothing, Shepard! "Yeah!" I let out with what little breath I had left, "I fucking did it!"

She walks down the path until she reaches me and offers a hand up. I take it and she heaves me up with ease. I'm still a little light-headed and my vision is a tad blurry, but I hear her speak. "So it seems like your mobility is your best asset when it comes to being in combat, interesting." I blink my eyes trying to get myself back together.

The captain of the Normandy gives me a warm smile, one that could make anyone get butterflies in their stomach. "Marcus, there might just be hope for you yet."

* * *

 **A/N : I know this chapter was a little short, but as I said before it was originally going to be all one chapter, but at the time, I thought it would have been a tad bit too long...Either way, it was necessary in order for the plot to keep going, so yeah.**

 **Next, we'll be jumping right into Therum in the next chapter to pick up Liara. It's not going to be like the game, though! I have a different method for entering the dig site... ;)**

 **Anyway, please leave a review if you can to let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time :)**


	8. My First Real Mission

**A/N: Happy (after) N7 day! :D **

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 8: My First Real Mission

The shuttle bay was dark with the night lights that illuminated the Normandy. I never understood why the Alliance like their ships so dark on the inside. When the SR2 was made in Mass Effect 2, it was much brighter than it's predecessor. But then in Mass Effect 3, it got dark again with the remodeling. They should know by now that with all the technology flashing about, it's just bad for the eyes...

Ash snaps her fingers in my face, getting my attention as she finishes clasping my shield harness together, "Look alive. You awake in there?"

I nod in response, "Of course I am."

"Really? You haven't exactly slept much." She says worriedly.

By the time Shepard and I finished my mobility thing from before, Ash had already woken up and went to her post. When Shepard left to go do her 'Commanderly' duties, she informed Miss Williams of the deal she and I had made earlier. Ever since then, Ash has been teaching me everything she could about the most important things. She also thought it was crazy for me to go into battle without armor, but she got over it. There was _no_ way I was going to do anything, being in that shit.

In this quick course she informed me of different dodging mechanics, aiming my pistol right, how to not let the weapon overheat too quickly, etc. The most important thing she mentioned was how to use the comm channels. Now, because of the omni-tool shit being in our brains, we communicate through there. So no ear piece is required, it's all transmitted through the interface. Needless to say, I geeked out about it for a little while. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the hang of the other weapons, so Ash thought it'd be best if I stuck with the pistol for this mission. Hey, no complaints from me...

Now we were all in the shuttle bay, gearing up and preparing for our drop onto Therum. Most of everyone was already circled around Shepard, who was leaning over a crate displaying the map of the area.

"Trust me when I say, 'I don't really feel it'. Seriously, like, the adrenaline is already kicking in my system." I explain.

She chuckles, but still visibly worried, "I can relate. That's usually how it goes for first missions." I unconsciously sigh out a breath and she seems to notice, "Don't worry. You're gonna be fine, Marcus. Like you said before, you can shoot at Geth. If anything, just stay close to me. I'll watch your back."

I nod my head grinning to the best of my ability, "Yes mam."

"Alright, we should go meet up with everyone else." We're about to move away before she stops me, "Oh, I almost forgot..." She grabs something out of the armory bench that resembles a pair of shades, except their orange with a holographic interface on the inside. "Put these on. They automatically sync to your omni-tool, so it catches your vital signs, shield durability, and bullet count."

Oooh cool! Kind of like the glasses you see Mason using in Black Ops 2! Man, Call of Duty...Almost all of them sucked after the MW2, but I mean, each one was just more of the same...I take them with a bit of grace, I don't want to damage them before I even try them on! I place it on my face and the lenses blink to life, displaying the stats she mentioned in each corner. It looks a lot like the HUD from a first person shooter.

"How do they fit?" She asks.

"Like a glove." I reply, barely containing my excitement.

She waves her armored hand at me, "Good. Let's go then."

I follow close behind her and we both make our way to the rest of the crew. Shepard is the first to greet us, "Glad you two decided to join in," she marks a few things on the holographic interface, which I can't help but stare at in awe. It looks kind of like the display showed in the movie Avatar when they're looking for shit to mine on the world. There was no way I could hide my amazement. "This is where the dig site is for Dr. T'soni. Joker says he's picking a lot of Geth signatures roaming around the area, so it's safe to say that we can expect a fight."

That's putting it mildly...

"So what's our course of action?" Kaidan asks. He was wearing his gray armor from Eden Prime and he was holding a helmet in his left hand.

"We gonna drop ourselves in the MAKO, mam?" Ashley suggests.

Garrus chimes in, "The MAKO isn't exactly subtle. We drop down on to the surface guns blazing and the Geth will send us a welcoming party."

Wrex chuckles darkly, "I'd like to see them try."

Garrus tilts his head and waves his talon, "It might be better if we didn't draw so much attention."

Shepard considers this for a moment, "Garrus is right. But we can also use that to our advantage."

"How?" I ask. This conversation didn't happen in the game, so I'm fairly curious.

A smirk forms on the red head's lips, "If the MAKO drops down onto the surface, there's no doubt they'll see it as a threat. But if they're searching for Benezia's daughter, they won't send all of their forces, just enough to keep the MAKO busy until they find her."

"Right, I see that. But I'm not exactly sure where you're going with this..." I replied honestly.

"We use the MAKO as a distraction." Ashley says connecting the dots. Well shit, that sounds cool! But how do the rest of us get down?

Tali questions next, "How many are going into the MAKO?"

"Three people are required to work the MAKO," Garrus mentions, "that includes: driving, engineering, and weapon manning."

"Right." Shepard confirms, "Do we have any volunteers?"

"I know he's only been here for a short time, but Garrus already knows more about the damn thing then I do." Kaidan says, "I think he's a reliable choice for it."

Garrus' mandible extends outwards, probably a grin from I could tell, "There's no denying I'm a good shot. I'll go wherever you need me Shepard."

Tali raises a hand, "I'm pretty good with tech. I can work on the systems and repairs for the vehicle, make sure we don't get blown up."

Someone's awfully confident in their abilities. Oh who am I kidding? I know what you can do Tali, you little genius!

"I can take care of the driving, then." Kaidan offers, filling up the last spot. "How will the rest of you get down?"

Shepard grins. I swear to god if she says we're doing a HALO jump..."The rest of us will drill down into the dig site."

...

Drill down?

"What do you mean, _drill down_?" I ask, "Wouldn't that make the dig site unstable? I mean, it is underground isn't it?"

"Normally, yes." Shepard replies, "But the drill pods we're using generate mass effect shields to shield it from any outside extremities."

Ashley taps my shoulder, "Basically, we're going to cut through the ground like butter."

I gulp down hard. I'm not sure how to feel about that...Come on, Marcus. They let you come with them, don't get a weak stomach now.

"Alenko, you'll have command on the ground while in the MAKO. But all of you remain in radio contact, understood?" Everyone gives some form of a nod in understanding. "Anymore questions?" Nobody replies, "Good. Everyone do a last minute check of your equipment and then get to your post. We'll be dropping soon."

* * *

It was getting difficult to breath correctly with all of the butterflies in my stomach. Kaidan, Garrus, and Tali already entered the planet's surface, and they were already reporting a Geth response. They would be fine, I know that, but I still thought about their general safety. None of us are going to be safe for the next couple of hours or so. Wrex, Ash, Shepard, and I were getting our pods ready for departure while Joker angled us in the right drop zone. One wrong calculation could send us straight into Lava, which was _not_ a comforting thought, like _not at all_.

Of course, I don't know how any of this shit works, so Ash was helping me with mine. She only clicks a few things on the terminal within the pod and I notice a blue flicker around the pod. It must be the mass effect shield that's gonna keep us alive. The pods were metallic and gray colored on the exteriors, each with a number to distinguish call signs for communication. It was strangely similar to the pods they used in Gears of War 2, so they could get into the Locust territory. That was a truly epic scene, indeed. Shame I can't think about this the same way. I'm just scared as fuck!

"Hey," Ash says, noting my shaking nerves, "You're gonna be fine. It's not as bad as it sounds, okay? Sky diving is harder than this, trust me."

"Yeah, except I'd _rather_!" I gesture to the pod, "How do we even know we'll land in the same place?"

"Each pod is fitted with a Geo transmitter that connects its location with the other ones. When Joker drops us, that's how we'll hit our mark on the landing." She explains.

I release a shaky breath, "Is it okay if that doesn't assure me at all?"

She laughs slightly before Shepard yells from her pod, telling us all to get ready to drop. Ash nods her head to the Commander before giving me one last look, "Breathe Marcus. The ride will be over before you can finish screaming."

I glare at her before she walks off. Really? That's the last thing she decides to tell me? Fuck. Focus! Here we go...I get into position where the cushions meet up within the pod. The position it's in forces you to stay standing and then it straps you down like a roller coaster harness. Once I'm secured, the panel door closes and the holographic interface pops up, displaying for me what it sees outside. It almost looks like I'm seeing through a window. A video feed of Shepard blips to life on the right side of the interface.

"Everyone locked in?" She asks.

Ash replies with a 'yes mam', Wrex mumbles something that simulated a 'yes', and I did the same in a shaky tone. Even if I tried to sound sure of myself, it wouldn't turn out very well.

"We're all good down here, Joker." Shepard informs him, "Whenever you're ready."

Another Comm signal cracks into the small space, "I'd like to thank you all for choosing the Moreau Airlines as your main flight, if you'd please fasten your seat-belts, it's about to get very... _bumpy_!" I smirk at Joker's witty humor but it diminishes rather quickly when just as he says the last word, I feel a force get pushed beneath me. The display in front of me explained it all: We were dropping! Fast!

 _Oh my fuck! Oh my fuck! Oh my fuck!_

My pod bursts through the clouds and I can see the ground.

 _Shit shit shit!_

Before long, I feel the pod hit the ground and my knees buckle slightly at the force.

 _Why the fuck am I_ doing _this? I think I'm almost done..._

A warning sign takes over the holographic panel filling the room with a bright red.

 _That can't be good!_

I close my eyes, not daring to see what's going to happen next. There's a good chance I'm going to die here...Maybe a quick prayer?

The pod comes to an abrupt stop and my body jerks from the force of the impact. Maybe now I could open my eyes...I do so and release breath of air. I'm not dead, I didn't land in lava, and the mines aren't crashing down on us. I'd say that's a damn good reason to be relieved! Now which lever was it to open this thing? I search the claustrophobic space and find the red emergency lever poking out from the top. I smile at the find and tug at it, making the door burst and fly open. I feel like an ODST right now, hell I may as well be the _rookie_!

I grab my pistol off the holder in the pod and make sure I have all of my equipment before stepping out. I was in some part of the dig site I didn't recognize. The rocks were moist, with glints of red chiseled on the different spots along the wall. I could feel the heat as if I was in a sauna at the gym, no doubt from the lava that lies just behind these areas. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I notice that this wasn't just a place I hadn't seen in the game. I didn't see anybody else here! None of my teammates landed here with me. So much for Geo transmitters, Ash!

Fuck. I should try to call them. I raise my omni-tool to open my Comm link, "Yo? Can you guys hear me?"

Static filled the empty space for 5 seconds before a familiar voice chimes in, "Marcus? Yeah, we hear you." Shepard says. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

I shake my head as if they could see me in person, "No, I'm fine, but I don't see any of you near me. I think I may have landed somewhere else in the dig site."

"That's what it looks like. The Geth must be using something that disrupted the Geo tracking coming down." Well, that explains that then..."I think I can see Williams. Ash are you there?"

The Chief sighs before responding, "Yes mam. Just a little dazed is all."

"Glad to hear you're in one piece, Ash." I tell her.

"Same to you, Marcus."

"Anybody hear from Wrex yet?" Shepard asks. We both say no to that and then there's a silence. She's probably thinking about what we're going to do next. "Alright, I'm gonna link up with Ash and then we'll make our way over to you, Marcus. Do you see an exit nearby?"

I glance around my surroundings once more. Oh there it is! I think..."Not sure, but it might be. It's like an open white pathway and as far as I can tell, it's the only thing I can go through here that isn't a dead end."

"That'll have to do. Go to it," She orders, "but stick to the shadows and don't daydream out here. The Geth will be patrolling around these parts; and if you get caught, you won't have anybody to back you up."

"Right, gotcha." I reply feeling the full weight of the situation I'm in. I'm going lone wolf mode in enemy territory. If this were a video game, that would be incredibly bad ass! But here? It just seems like an easy way for me to get myself killed. Not like I have much of a choice, so there's no point in dwelling on it I suppose.

Ash wishes me luck before Shepard announces that she's moving towards her, leaving me alone in this stupid place. It's not like I'm gonna get anywhere with me just standing here. With this I begin making my way towards what I think to be the exit. I make sure to stay closer to the walls that way I'm not immediately easy to spot. It's like Shepard said, _stick to the shadows_. This is about as close to that as I'm gonna get.

It doesn't take long for me to reach the entrance and now I get a proper view of what it looks like. It holds the same resemblance as one of the cells that Liara was locked away in, only without the barrier blocking the space. The gray tiles that lined the entrance were covered in dirt and grime from the digging, giving it an almost prehistoric vibe from it. Than again, this is a Prothean ruin, so that makes sense...

The clicks and sputters of nearby Geth make a chill run up spine. I hug the wall once again and peek my head around the corner. Yep, there they are, 3 geth troopers just standing there, observing the scenery. That's what it looks like anyhow. I don't think they spotted me yet. I notice something else on my second peek, a red figure in cover behind a silver beam that mimics around the entire chasm-like room. That's Wrex!

With some determination, I quietly attempt to make my way over to him. If I go from cover to cover, they shouldn't be able to spot me. Yeah, this'll be—a series of clicks leave a geth trooper that turns to me, showering me with the beam of his flashlight head. Well this took a turn pretty quickly...I sprint now and luckily make it behind the beam next to Wrex's, as they lift their guns and open fire. I couldn't stop myself from flinching every time the rounds bounced off the pillar.

I look to Wrex, who's just watching the whole thing happening. Now would be a perfect opportunity to show off your skills you jag off! He glares at me for a few seconds before his body glows with energy and he whips around the corner, he throws a ball towards them, catching them each in a singularity. The three units stay floated until he deactivates them with his shotgun, their lights going dead as they release a metallic cry.

I hesitate to peak my first time, but on the second, I manage to step out of cover. Releasing a sigh of relief, I walk over to him, "That was close. You really showed them who's boss."

He glares at me again. Clearly, he doesn't enjoy my presence, that's for sure...He groans, "Had to be me that gets _stuck_ with you."

Well that just hurts..."What are you talking about? We make a great team! Didn't you see what we just accomplished here?" I refer to the dead units lying on the floor, "I distracted them and you went all Scarface and greeted them with your little friend." Man, such a _good_ movie...Do they even have Scarface this far into the future?

Wrex begins to move closer to me, refusing to lighten his glare, "Was that an insult?"

I give him a perplexed look. Insult him? How would I have—Oh shit! The scar across his face, I completely forgot! I stammer for a quick response, "No! No no no, I-I was making a reference to an old human film. It's really good, I'd gladly show it to you sometime..." By the time I finish my defense, he was standing just a few inches from my face and I was leaning back slightly. I could feel his exhales and _goddamn_ his breath is kicking! No way in hell am I gonna tell _him_ that though, I'd rather _keep_ my entrails...

He scrunches his nostrils so that all the holes open and close in one quick motion before he pulls back. Oh thank god...I wipe the sweat off my forehead as he begins walking in a direction. "Um, do you even know where you're going?" I ask him.

"No." He replies, "But it's better than standing here talking to you."

I frown. This is what Wrex thinks of me? He dislikes me that much...I've always liked Wrex in the games, but I didn't think he could be such a dick! He examines the other side of a corner before turning into it. I better catch up with him before he leaves me. A dick he may be, but two heads are better than one, especially if mine is still attached to my shoulders...

"Hey, wait up!"

* * *

The two of us were just wandering around the complex now. With Wrex taking point and me following close behind, most of it in silence as we didn't want to alert any other patrols that might be around. We spoke with Shepard and Ashley over the radio, they ran into some trouble too, though it was nothing they couldn't handle, obviously. I find it hard to believe there's anything these guys _can't_ handle...Unfortunately, they have no idea if they're getting close to Liara and neither do we, frankly. That insane drop from the Normandy was no where near canon and so far, it seems like Wrex and I have been going in circles.

I've come to realize that Prothean ruins are quite dull in terms of creativity. The hall ways are all frighteningly similar, from the grey tiled designs to the same layout structures of the rooms we come across. We've ran into two other geth squads since I found Wrex. He did most of the work, but I'm happy to admit I got a couple here and there. Slowly but surely, I'm starting to get the hang of this.

Kaidan radio'd to all of us earlier, giving a situation report, or a "Sit-rep," of what's been happening above ground. They're managing it seems, no real harm has happened too bad with them yet. Over the comm's we could hear the revving of the MAKO's engine and gunfire blowing out the cannon, leaving the impression they had just gone into a fire fight. But like they said, they were doing fine, so nothing to worry about. Part of me wishes I was out there with them. I've never been good with tight spaces as I get claustrophobic pretty easily. And yeah, the MAKO would be tight too, but at least then I could hear Garrus crack a couple of jokes or two, lighten the mood. Trying to have a conversation with Wrex is like talking to a wall. Actually, no, that's a lie, I would get more out of the wall...

I didn't even realize I let out a sigh, "It feels like we've been walking for hours..."

"It's been six minutes..." He grumbles. That's more than I thought he'd say.

"Doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere, though." I point to a couple of small doors blocked by a blue light, "We've seen those before, right?"

He frowns, "This isn't some kind of loop, it's just the damn architecture. Now keep quiet." I'll do what I want! I glare and make a funny face at him, "I can _see_ you doing that."

What? How? I'm no where near his line of sight! I stop making the face, "How could you?"

"Krogan's have a two hundred forty degree field of vision, one of the reasons why we tend to get contracted for mercenary work is because we can see more than the average alien." He explains. Oooh, he said the 'A' word! Anyway, I had no idea they had such a wide FOV. Do they even mention that in the game? Because that is just too fucking cool!

I nod my head, "Explain's why you've been looking ahead this whole time. You can see your sides too." He makes a noise with his mouth closed and that's when I spot something in the distance. A big door. Way bigger than the ones we've been passing this whole time, so maybe it could lead to someplace new? "Wrex, you see that?"

"Did you not pay attention to what I just said?"

I furrow my brows, "Then why didn't you call it out?"

He turns his head sideways to me, "And obnoxiously give away our position? Who would be stupid enough to do that?"

The sarcasm practically drips off his voice. At least he's getting witty, rather than being quiet...So...progress? I mumble a small insult as we approach the massive door. There was a green panel to the left of it, so I approach. Wrex moves to the opposite side, probably so we could both be in a corner if we run into anything unfriendly behind this door. The panel was self explanatory, having specific words for each action. I hover my hand over it, giving Wrex a questionable glance for assurance. After he nods, I press my palm down onto the button. The ancient door rumbles, slowly opening before sliding at a quicker pace.

First thing I hear when the door halts is the sound of familiar clicks echoing beyond the entrance. I glance around the corner as much as I can to get a better look. This new room was big, like a great hall, similar to the one we were at when I found Wrex. Gray support beams circled around the area and in the center of the hall was a large group of Geth. Much bigger than any other groups we dealt with so far. They must be getting closer to Liara for them to be so packed together.

In the corner of my eye, I catch Wrex move over to a piece of cover located past the doorway. They haven't noticed that the door opened yet, which is strange considering we're so close, but then again, they could be trying to form a consensus on what to do next. I mimic Wrex's move, taking a spot next to him.

"So, any suggestions?" I ask

"Yeah." He says, "Don't get in the way."

I narrow my eyes at him, "Seriously? What, you're just gonna take them all on at once?"

"Of course not." said the Krogan, "I count nine, so I'll just take them each one at a time."

I balance my head to each side, considering the idea, "It's not bad," I admit, "but kinda risky."

This time, his eyes narrow at me, "Do _you_ have a plan?"

I close my eyes for a moment, pondering for a course of action until I open them firmly, "There's too many of them to do a frontal attack." I note to him, "They haven't noticed that we're here yet, so we still have the element of surprise. Two against nine aren't exactly the greatest odds. But if we could take a couple of them out simultaneously, it might even the playing field a little bit."

Wrex nods his head, "I see where you're going with this. We could use a grenade to throw them off balance, then take out whatever remains."

"Exactly!" I smirk at the two of us clicking. Look at this: teamwork!

He removes a grenade that was attached somewhere on his armor, "Okay, you're up, squirt."

...

First of all, 'squirt'? Worst thing I've ever been called in my life...Second, "What do you mean, 'you're up'?"

He gestures a three fingered hand to my uniform, "There's a reason you're dressed in such light material. You can get in and out faster than I could."

I wince at his argument. He's not wrong, dammit. Though, this could be a good thing. I mean, he's willing to work with me, which means I'm not a total failure to him. Right? "Fine, but you need to put them in a biotic stasis, because lord knows my shields won't last forever and there isn't that much cover out here besides the support beams."

"Sure, I'll take care of it. Just make sure your aim isn't shit." He says, handing me the grenade.

Fuck me, I've never used one before. "How do I...turn it on?"

His eyes go wide for a second before rolling, "Click the button on the top; it'll glow red, then you throw it."

I gulp down hard, "Right. Okay, I think I'm ready." What am I saying?

"'Bout time. Go!"

He grabs me from the back of my shirt with one arm and shoves me forward, giving me some momentum as I scramble to myself in a proper running position. Once I got my footing, I began to charge in their direction. My footsteps were light, but my heart was beating so fast that I could hear it in my ears. They finally notice me once I'm about fifteen meters away from them and my adrenaline kicks in at the sight of their weapons being trained on me. Come on, Wrex, please don't let me get lit the fuck up. I cringe, putting one hand over my face (as if that's going to do anything against lasers and shit) and right after, I see the synthetics become enveloped by a purple-blue light and they stay still.

I smirk at the glorious sight. Thanks for having my back Wrex! Now, for my part of the plan...If I can get the angle right, I can throw it and pivot my way towards a corner for cover. I'm within spitting distance by now and the frozen AI's stare back at me with their flashlight heads. Take this, you fucks! I perform the plan I had thought up moments ago, but something goes wrong...My pivot is perfect, only, the grenade slips off of my fingers as I throw it. So instead of landing right below them, it lands to their side. I hesitate and stop in place, maybe I should go back? No, the grenade is going to off and the stasis won't last forever.

My eyes widen as they suddenly start to move again.

Fucking shit, man! In a panic, I run towards the closest beam, getting right behind it as my shields drop to as little as five percent. Of all the goddamn things for me to fuck up, it's _this_? The grenade goes off and I'm greeted by a flying piece of Geth tech as it lands next to me. Alright, it wasn't so bad...I peek my head around the beam, but pull it back as a few bullets hit the area just above my head. I grip my pistol from its holster and bring it out.

I couldn't see how many were left, but we should be able to handle this. My shields notify me that they've fully recharged. I need to get a better look, but it saw where my head was, so maybe I should try the other side. I poke my head out again and it appears the explosion only killed three of them. Six units remained and four of them were pinning down Wrex, while the other two focused on me. I sure hope Wrex finishes soon, I almost feel bad for them even _trying_ to take him out. Me on the other hand...I feel my chest getting heavier than normal. Come on, I can take out two of them, no sweat! Just have to do this smart. One at a time...

I shut my eyes and give myself a breather before counting to three and rounding the corner. The trooper that fired at me initially was the first to spot me. I fired four shots from my Predator pistol with three of them hitting it, taking its shields. It releases an aggravated cry and shoots back. I grit my teeth, feeling it hit against my shields and I pull back into cover. A few more shots hit me from the side and that's when I notice the other one was trying to hit from my flank while the other distracted me. Geth are way smarter here than in the game, the fucking computers...Sorry, Legion; no disrespect.

My heart practically jumps out of my chest as I try to figure what would be the best thing to do in this situation. These shields won't last forever and I won't be able to hide in cover while the other keeps shooting at me. No matter where I go here, I'd still be getting shot. This process lasts about a second in real time, with me coming to a decision.

Hopefully, the geth I had attacked first didn't regain its shields. After firing another couple of shots to its chest plate, it sputters to the ground, its light going dead. Lucky me! I stick behind the cover of the beam where the other couldn't get me. It continued spraying where I had been, and when it ceased, I rounded the corner and shot back at it. Five shots manages to hit and rips through its shields. I continue pulling the trigger until my gun overheats and it deactivates, falling to the ground. Wincing from the heat of the barrel, I shake my left hand tenderly. How the fuck I managed to pull that off, I don't know...

A shotgun blast echoes in this confined hall and I whip my head towards the source. Wrex had just finished killing his share of the geth too. I walk over to him, breathing heavily while my adrenaline dies down. I take a look at the remains of units he destroyed. Actually, annihilated would be a more sufficient term. Two of them were shot to death by the looks of it, but one had a dismembered arm, and the last one shared an uncanny resemblance to a crushed soda can. I shudder thinking about what he could do to an organic if they got on his bad side. Seriously, Wrex can be dangerous!

"Goddamn, Wrex!" I say with a shit eating grin, "A little over kill don't you think?"

He walks over to me with an intense look, sending a chill down my spine as he gets uncomfortably close, "All you had to do was throw it at them, and you couldn't even do _that_?"

I step back, offended, "What are you talking about, it still worked! We got three of them."

"It should've hit a lot more than that." He mumbled in his deep voice, "But...you managed to kill two of them by yourself, so...good job. You're not totally useless." I slightly smile at him, "I still don't like you, though."

And there goes the moment...

Before I could say something, a muffled voice catches my attention. Is that who I think it is? Eyeing Wrex, he seems to have heard it too. I spin around, trying to hear what direction it was coming from. "I think it's coming from over there." I mention, pointing to another closed big door.

We both move over to it, doing the same thing we had done last time. The voice was sounding much closer now. He nods his head to me and I press the green panel. It sluggishly opens and we find ourselves in a room almost identical to the last one. Only difference was, the center held a terminal for something we couldn't see, and there were no support beams around these parts, just a very large amount of space that leads the metal walls upwards with the concrete.

In the distance, I see a figure with their arms spread out, engulfed by a big blue orb. "Is someone there?" She attempts to crane her neck for a better view of us, but to no avail. "Of course, if you are geth, you cannot respond to me at all..."

A sense of sudden joy fills me at the sight of her. It's Doctor Liara-Fuckin'-T'soni! In the flesh! I turn to Wrex before breaking into a run toward her, "Radio Shepard, I'll go free her." If he said something I didn't catch it, but I'm at Liara's cell terminal in seconds. "Hi!" My voice startles her, poor thing must be surprised to hear an actual voice, "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It is quite alright. I was just not expecting to find anyone here. Over the Geth, you are a welcome sight." She explains, "As you may have noticed, I have been unable to do much of anything."

I nod looking her predicament up and down, "Indeed...Well, have no fear, the help is here!" I joke, making a heroic stance. She tilts her head at me, "Any idea how I can get you out of there?"

"It embarrasses me to admit it, but I believe this is some kind of trap I triggered when I sealed myself off from the Geth." She explains using her fingers to point toward a computer terminal to my right, "That is what I used to bring up the barrier."

I step over to the terminal and for the most part, the screen looked like mumbo jumbo to me. In fact I think it made more sense when it was badly pixelated on the Xbox...There is one thing I do understand though. Basic video game knowledge: red means locked, green means open! I click the red button, swiping it to the other side of the screen and it glows with a green light.

The blue orb Liara had been in blinks away and she ceremoniously thuds on the floor. I should probably help her up...I lean down with an offered hand and when she notices it, she takes it graciously.

"Thank you so much!" She thanked, "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't came along."

"Turning into a synthetic corpse most likely." I reply jokingly.

Her eyes go wide at this, "Goddess...That's not what they actually do is it?"

I couldn't help but smile. Her innocence in the first game is so adorable..."No. Not that I've seen _here_ anyway..."

"Regardless," She bows her head, "I am very grateful, Mr...?"

This catches me off guard, "Uh, Redfeild! Marcus Redfeild." I can feel my face heat up.

"You're blushing." She notes. Shit, was it that obvious? "Did I say something wrong?"

"No!" I clear my throat, "I'm just not used to people addressing me by my last name. Please, just Marcus, is okay."

"Very well then, Marcus." She smiles warmly at me, "I am eternally grateful."

This is the first time I get a good look at her, and boy when Shepard is telling this story through comic book form, they weren't kidding. She is absolutely gorgeous! She's about a half inch taller than me. The blue light from the barrier mixes beautifully with her already deep blue skin, as well as the light purple freckles that line the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. The designs on her hair tentacles are simple, yet easy to look at as they draw your attention. Her calm sapphire shaded eyes sparkle with the lighting in the room, with enough beauty in it to make me get goosebumps from the sight of it alone.

"I'd love to take all the credit, but I didn't come here alone." I say, "You'll need to speak to my Commander, but don't worry, she's quite friendly."

"Your...Commander?" She glances down to my shield harness, "You are with the Alliance?"

Hmm. I'm not sure what I am, actually...A contractor? Serviceman? I don't fucking know. "She is." I admit, "This is an Alliance operation."

She shakes her head, obviously confused, "But, what does the Alliance want with me?"

As if on cue, a familiar voice is heard coming towards us, "Same reason the Geth are after you, I'll bet."

"Shepard!" I greet her with a wave. "This is Liara."

The human Spectre nods her head to her courteously, "Dr. T'soni, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Commander. I am grateful for all of your help." She says.

"It was nothing." She assured her before turning to me, "Good work finding her, Marcus."

I smile at her, but wait. That's strange, Ash isn't with her. "Where's the Chief?" I ask.

She points to where I had left Wrex, "She's guarding the perimeter with Wrex, making sure we don't get any uninvited guests." She might not be enjoying that so much, her being a xenophobe and all. But then again, since when has Ash ever disregarded in order?

"Pardon me for interrupting." Liara speaks up, "But why _are_ the Geth after me?"

"We believe they might be under Saren's orders to capture you," I begin, "because of both your knowledge on the Protheans and the fact that you're Matriarch Benezia's daughter."

"Matriarch Benezia?" She mutters with a hooked brow, "But I have not spoken to my mother in years."

Shepard steps up and puts a hand on her shoulder, "I understand what you're going through is a lot to process. And we'll do whatever we can to answer any questions you may have, as long as you do the same for us. But first, we need to get out of these ruins."

"You are right." Liara agrees, "It is not safe for us to really speak here with the Geth roaming about."

"Do you know of a way out of here?" I ask. If it's anything like the game, then where Wrex and Ashley are standing should be the elevator platform that takes us up.

"Yes, I do." She says, "It is in this very same room. There's an elevator platform that should take us up."

Damn. When it comes to Mass Effect, I'm like the Male version of the Oracle, brah. The three of us make our way back to the platform with our other two companions. Ash greets me and I do the same, and before we know it, we were being lifted up to the surface. You know what I just realized? These ruins aren't collapsing...We didn't have to use the mining laser to get to Liara, so there was nothing to make the cave system unbalance. I mean we drilled our way down here, but I guess it didn't cause enough of a disturbance to really do much.

Our radio's crack to life, _"Uh, Commander? We have a problem."_ I spoke too soon...Suddenly it begins to feel like the entire world around us is shaking and I try hard to regain my balance on the still moving platform.

"What the hell was that, Joker?" She demands.

 _"I think the Geth know you have Dr. T'soni, 'cause they're firing all kinds of fire power onto the surface of the dig site."_ He explains, _"I figure you got about three minutes to get out before the whole thing comes down on top of you."_

 _"We'll take care of the forces up here, try to buy you guys some time!"_ Kaidan announces.

Shepard gets her Commander voice on, "Copy that. Joker, lock in on my signal and be ready to pick us up!" She turns to all of us, "You guys get all of that?" The four us nod, even Liara. She must have overheard it, Joker _is_ pretty hard to miss..."Then be ready to run."

"If I die in here, I'll kill him." Wrex says out loud.

...

One of the coolest lines in the whole damn trilogy. Bravo!

Finally, the elevator reaches a stopping point and we're greeted by a Krogan battlemaster with a few Geth troopers. In my first playthrough, I remember I had a lot of difficulty beating this part. The Krogan looks even nastier in person and he's carrying what looks like a Claymore shotgun from here. Not fun, not fun at all! He takes a few steps onto the platform before speaking.

"Surrender. Or don't, that would be fun." He says with a deep gravely voice.

I whisper to Liara, "You may want to put a biotic barrier around yourself..." She looks at me with worried eyes before nodding her head.

Shepard frowns, "We don't have time to deal with this idiot! Charge!" Renegade option? Interesting...

He chuckles darkly before mumbling something as the bullets begin to fly. We're out in the open right now with nothing to take cover in, but there is something to hide behind on the sidelines. My teammates seem to think the same thing as we each flock over to our own piece of cover. Liara follows close behind me as we crouch down behind this piece of machinery. Shepard and Ashley took a spot across the platform from us and Wrex was closer to the action. Being able to regen must be outstanding!

I glance to Liara behind me. She was doing her best to make sure she wasn't in the way, but I saw no trace of fear in her eyes. Worry, yes. But she certainly wasn't afraid.

"Stay close to me, okay?" She agrees with a nod.

I peek around the corner to take a look at the fight. Shepard and Ash we're trading shots with two of the geth units that were standing in the doorway. Ash's shields give out before theirs do and she pulls back into cover. Shepard continued firing her pistol down range, taking one of them out with an explosive spark. The other stumbles back slightly from the aftermath of its companion before Ash rounds the corner and blows its heads off. So fucking fresh, man! Goddamn!

Wrex let out a battle cry as he charged towards the other Krogan, doing a football tackle and colliding into him. The other Krogan knees him and then headbutts him with his crest, making Wrex careen from the blow. He recovers quickly, however, shooting him once with his shotgun, effectively breaking his shields. Wrex wastes no time, biotically freezing him in place and then using an up close shotgun blast to dismember his head. The gory scene was rather difficult to watch.

I guess the fight is over...Wait. Wasn't there three Geth units?

"Behind you!" Liara exclaims. I turn and nervously raise my pistol at it, but its rifle was already up. Shit this isn't good! The unit then glows with blue energy before getting smashed hard against the wall. There was so much force to it that a few bits and pieces flew out! I turn my head to face Liara who was enveloped in the same blue energy. She used a biotic throw! And a very strong one at that..."Kill it, before it get's back up!"

Oh, right! I raise my pistol once more and end it with two shots to its head. I sigh a breath of relief, "Thanks, Liara. Fucker snuck up on us."

She's just about to say something before Shepard's voice booms in the air, "We gotta go, come on!" She beckons us over with her arm and they head towards the entrance.

The ruins shake again, giving me enough motivation to high-tail it on out of here. I don't plan on dying by getting buried alive! I lightly push Liara with my hand on her back, and we all break into a run. The area from what I can see looks very similar to how it does when you're entering the place in the game, just way more realistic, which is obvious. We zig-zag our way up the platforms and my lungs feel like they're going to explode by the time we reach the tunnel. Why am I so out of shape dammit! Just as we all make it outside, I can feel the ceiling fall behind us, closing off whatever was inside from ever seeing the light of day again.

We all stand there, sweating and gasping for air while the Normandy comes into view and Shepard waves at Joker.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, "Is it always like this with you people?" Liara asks.

A great smile spreads on my lips, "You have no idea."

* * *

 **A/N:** **Sorry again for making this chapter so long! I just wanted to get Therum done and out of the way so we could have everyone on board.**

 **Please let me know what you thought of my tweaked version of this mission. I know it was a little different from the game, especially from the entrance, but hopefully you guys enjoyed it?**

 **Anyway, see ya next time! :)**


	9. Talking with the Squad

**A/N : Hey guys! I'm back with another update! I have some news to give out, but I'll save it for the end.**

 ***Also, chapters will be between 4000-8000 words from now on :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Talking with the Squad

" _Too Close, Commander!"_ Joker's voice boomed on the intercom. " _Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference..."_

Ha! Joker and his witty comments, I love them! We just came back from our mission on Therum and _man_ that shit was crazy! The entire sequence of the mission was all kinds of fucked up compared to what I knew about it, but it all worked out I suppose. It didn't take long for us all to get picked up by the Normandy. After we were on board, Shepard called everyone to the conference room. So once we all took off our armor (or those of us who were wearing it anyway) and put away our weapons, we all met up with Shepard for a debrief of the mission.

Even this room was different...It still had the same navy blue shading style as the one in the first game, but there's a table in the center like there was in the second. It looks much fancier in my opinion and way more practical too. We were each sitting in a chair around the table, the darkly tinged light reflecting off of our faces. It actually made us look pretty cool!

"We almost died down there, and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara asked incredulously.

"Don't take it too personally," I tell her, "that's just his thing."

Shepard speaks up, "That being said; he saved our lives. I think he's earned the right to a few bad jokes."

Liara starts to play with her fingers, "I see. It must be a human thing. Forgive me, I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander. But, I am grateful to you." She glances at me and then back to Shepard, "You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren..."

"What does Saren even want with you?" Kaidan asks with a couple of hand gestures, "Do you know something about the conduit?"

She stares at Kaidan with soft ice blue eyes, "Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. _That_ is my real area of expertise." she explains, "I have spent the last fifty years of my life trying to figure out what happened to them."

Everyone except Wrex and I seem to share the same level of awe from that comment. Probably because of how loosely she said fifty years was, like it was only a weeks worth of time. Being an Asari who gets to live up to a thousand years old, I can see why, but still...I'm not sure I'd ever want to live up to a thousand. Think about the shit you'd go through every ten years or so. Though, that may be why Asari—Matriarchs especially—are known for their wisdom and patience.

"How...old _are_ you, exactly?" Shepard asks carefully, trying not to offend her.

Our newest team member seems to blush a light purple, "I'd hate to admit it, but I am only a hundred and six."

"Damn!" Ash laughs out, "I hope _I_ look that good when I'm your age."

"It is not as great as you think." She says, "By Asari standards I'm seen as little more than a child, which is why all of my theories on the Protheans have been quick to being dismissed."

"We've got our own theory as to why the Protheans disappeared." Shepard tells her.

"With all due respect, Commander, I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind." Liara counters, "It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery to be solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues." You couldn't be more on the nail there, Liara. In fact, if you think about it, the reapers—"But here is the incredible part." Oh, she's not done...I forgot how much she spoke here, but she does it so passionately, it kind of makes it interesting... _Kind of._.. "According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"How did you come up with this theory?" Garrus asks, "Didn't you just say there wasn't any evidence?"

"I have been working on this for fifty years." The future Shadow Broker states, "I have tracked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Eventually, subtle patterns start to emerge. Patterns that hint at the truth." She shakes her head with a smile, "It is...difficult...to explain to someone else. I cannot point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is more of a feeling, derived from a half-century of dedicated research. But I _know_ I am right. There were other civilizations before the Protheans. This cycle has repeated itself many times over."

Tali swivels her head to her, "If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?"

She sighs, "I don't know. There is barely enough evidence on the Protheans and even less on the ones who came before them. I cannot prove my theory, but I know I am right! The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and _violently_ cast down. Only ruins survive..."

I feel like I should say something. Liara's theories are actually very much the truth, I never actually realized it til now...Nice going, Bioware.

"Even the Protheans came from a single world." I say, "They just continued to grow until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Who's to say they didn't stumble across a past civilizations old technology, just like we did?"

Liara's eyes sparkle brightly, "Have you studied the Protheans as well?"

I shake my head, smiling, "Nah, I had a friend who was pretty crazy about it though. He was into the whole 'conspiracy' thing, I just enjoyed getting the information."

"So what does that make you?" Ash asks next to me.

"Well, Chief, I am an optimist, thank you very much!" I reply to her.

Garrus mumbles under his breath, "Explains why you run around the field wearing only a shield generator..."

This prompts a few chuckles from some people as I glare at him. Damn. Bruh, you trying to throw some shade? Okay. Just you wait, I got the _best_ roast for you!

"Regardless, Mr. Redfeild, you are correct." Liara says, "What we thought to be their greatest achievements—the mass relays and the Citadel—are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

Oh, poor thing. Fifty years she's been searching for the right answer and we're about to give it to her without even trying. I hope she's ready to have her world turned upside down.

Shepard crosses her arms, "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines, known as: The Reapers."

Liara's eyes blink violently, bewildered by the revelation, "The—The Reapers? But I have never heard of—" She regains her bearings, "How do you know of this? What sort of evidence do you have?"

"There was a Prothean beacon that got unearthed on Eden Prime." I answer her, "One thing led to another and...it made love to our minds." I get a glare from Ashley and Shepard, but a chuckle from Garrus and Kaidan. Good, that's all I was going for! I correct my words, "It burned a vision into our brains."

She tilts her head, "Whose?"

I gesture to the human Spectre, "Shepard and I, though, we're still trying to sort out what it means."

"Visions? Yes...That makes sense." She begins, "The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime."

Aaaand this is where I tune out. Much as I love to hear her speak, she sure knows how to ramble on about things...I already know that the beacons were only supposed to react with Prothean physiology, that's what the cipher is going to be for on Feros. God, Feros. Fucking thorian creepers and shit. I've always been a fan of zombie games, hell I played the shit out of Dead Rising—which, by the way, Frank West? Total bad-ass! But I'm not sure how I feel about that mission. Then again, it's not like I have choice in the matter. What do I have to worry about? A few man eating plants? Piece of cake...

"I am amazed the two of you were able to make sense of it at all." Oh, damn, she's still talking? "Lesser-minds would have been utterly destroyed by the process. The both of you are remarkably strong-willed."

Kaidan speaks up, "Okay, this isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit." He sounded kind of...annoyed? No...Jealous maybe? Liara _did_ pay Shepard a complement just now. Hmm. I don't know.

"Of course." She agrees with him, "You are right. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit, or Saren."

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture. But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along." Shepard says.

Liara gets up and walks over to her, "Thank you, Commander. Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on."

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts." Wrex adds. True enough, Liara was a biotic bad ass in all three games. I can't wait to actually see her in action!

"Good to have you on the team, Liara."

She bows her head, "Thank you, Commander. I am very gratef—" She trails off, putting a hand on her forehead, "Whoa. I am afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed."

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." Kaidan says.

"It is probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate." Liara explains, "I need some time to process all this, though, it could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional. Are we finished here, Commander?"

Shepard nods her head, "We can talk again later, after you've seen the doctor and gotten some decent rest. The rest of you, dismissed!"

With that, all of us crew members file out of the comm room, each going our separate ways. I'm not sure what I should do at this point. Actually, I think a shower wouldn't be the worst place to start, and then maybe, food? Yeah, that sounds good. I haven't eaten since...holy shit. I haven't eaten since before I went to bed! How am I not passing out on the floor right now? I guess I've been too busy trying to stay alive to really worry about it. Let's rectify that, shall we?

I'm just about to enter the door that leads downstairs when a finger taps my shoulder. I turn around and see that it was Liara, nervously waving at me with a big smile, "Hello, Mr. Redfeild."

I greet back with a smile of my own, "Hey, Liara. And we've been over this, just Marcus is fine."

"Oh, right. Yes, of course." She stammers a bit, "I am sorry, Marcus."

I wave my hand at her, "It's cool, really. Anyway, what's up?"

" _What's up?_ " She asks back. She doesn't understand it?

"Yeah, like, how can I help you?" I state more clearly.

"Oh! Yes. Well...I was wondering if maybe you could escort me to your Dr. Chakwas?" She asks innocently. "I'm not particularly sure where she is located..."

I nod my head in understanding, "Okay. Yeah, sure. She's in the deck right below us. Come on, this way." I beckon her with a wave of my hand and we walk side by side to the second floor. "So how are you feeling? All that business back on Therum couldn't have been easy on you."

She sighs with her response, "I am alright, considering. Thanks to you I mean."

I feel myself blushing as I shrug my shoulders, "If I didn't save you, someone else would have."

"That may be so, but it was _you_ who saved me." She states, "And for that...I am—"

"Grateful?" I finish for her with an eyebrow raised and a smug grin, "You've mentioned that a couple of times now."

This time, it's she who blushes, "Forgive me. As I said before, I have very little experience interacting with your species."

"Don't worry about it, Liara, there's nothing to forgive." I tell her. "If you don't mind me asking, how long _were_ you trapped in that barrier for?" That's always something I've wanted to know, they never really say it in the game.

She rubs the top of her...tentacles? Scalp crests? You know what I mean, "Not long, I suppose. Maybe only a couple of days. Those geth should have found me a lot sooner." She glances at me and smiles, "I am relieved they did not."

I give her a crooked smile as we step down on to the second floor, "Really? I thought you _wanted_ to be captured by a dangerous organic killing race?"

She stares at me incredulously, "What gave you _that_ impression?"

...

I couldn't help but laugh about that, "Clearly you don't understand sarcasm." Or maybe I just didn't say it right...She was able to understand Joker's sarcasm after all, but his was blatantly obvious compared to mine. Boy would it be good to have Max Caulfield's rewind ability right now. I could go back and say it right! Also, think of the mischief I could cause! ...And, you know, the things I could fix—but that's just not as fun.

"Unfortunately..." She says laughing with me.

"Well, not to worry!" I begin, "Now that you're part of the crew, you'll be spending a lot of time with us, so you'll catch on eventually. Sarcasm's a bit of a thing here, you already heard it from Joker and me. So, just watch out for Garrus."

"I see. He is the Turian, correct?" I nod my head, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Though, I'm afraid the rest of the crew does not like me much."

"How so?" I ask.

"I am aware of the looks they give me, they do not trust me." She explains, her words carrying through the empty space of the mess hall, "Perhaps it is because I am Benezia's daughter, in which case, I suppose I could understand. They probably think me some sort of double agent. But I am nothing like Benezia, I haven't seen her in years."

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir, Liara." Her facial expression becomes puzzled and I quickly say what I mean, "I believe you and so does Shepard for that matter, so there's no need for you to explain it to me. And don't worry, the others will come around. Except, maybe Wrex." Then again, He and Liara were close during the third game, cracking jokes and shit. So maybe she'll have an easier time getting through to him than I do. The perks of being an attractive female...

It's only now that I notice we've reached the med bay door, "Well, this is it here, Dr. Chakwas is just behind this door."

"So I see..." Her voice drifts away, gazing at the letters presented boldly on the door, "Thank you, Marcus. Will we speak again?"

"Of course," I say simply, "Maybe we'll talk again at dinner or something."

"I would like that." She states with a sweet smile, "Farewell." She exits the room, going through the med bay door, leaving me by myself in the mess hall.

Since I'm here anyway, may as well grab a bite to eat. Wait, what time is it? I lift up my wrist, blinking my omni-tool to life. I look at the clock located in the top right corner, declaring that it was five in the afternoon, earth time. I guess that means dinner is going to be sooner than I thought. So, maybe I shouldn't eat a big meal now, just a snack to keep myself going.

I enter the corner of the kitchen where the food usually stays, browsing the selection of choices they have. I don't like eating cereal and milk in small amounts, it's gotta be a big bowl, so that's out of the question. Shame they don't have cheese sticks here, I'd kill for one right now. My mom always made sure they were stocked at home, but my sister and I would finish a pack or so in a couple of days—she'd get _so_ mad...

...

I shake the thoughts away with a sigh. Thinking about them is only going to make me feel like shit, but I can't help it. My folks and I were close...Do they even know I'm gone? What happened to me there, in my reality? Am I missing, am I...dead? Or am I just on auto pilot mode like Adam Sandler was in the movie ' _Click_ '? Guess I'll never really know for sure. There'll be time to think about them later, no reason to right now.

My eyes halt on a label that looks like a decent option. Energy bars? That'll do just fine! I go ahead and grab a red wrapper colored one. The picture on it shows it being covered by a layer of chocolate and red marshmallow looking crap stuffed in the center. Tearing it open, I take a bite, letting the taste flurry around in my mouth. This shit's actually pretty good! Tastes like chocolate covered strawberries. I've never been a big fan of chocolate mind you, but I can have it every once in a while, especially with something like this, where the strawberry flavor takes up most of the taste.

Walking idly around the cafeteria, I realize that something's missing. Where's Kaidan? He's not in his usual spot, tapping away at his computer. Of course, he doesn't _have_ to be here, he is a real person after all. Man, how cool would it be if in the game, the crew members actually walked around the ship? Like in Mass Effect 3, it made them feel much more real, in my opinion. Well...It can't get any realer than _this_. Maybe he's downstairs...

I'm going down there anyway so I hop into the elevator and wait for it to reach the desired floor. I find myself bobbing my head and humming along with the mellow tunes playing in the speaker. Wait. When did this thing get elevator music? Do they think it's gonna make the time go by any faster?

Just as I think this, the platform chugs to a stop and the door flies open. No comment...Stepping onto the deck I can see Ash standing at her table cleaning the equipment she used on the mission. Wrex was doing what he always does, brooding, arms crossed, leaning backwards against a tower of maintenance boxes. Christ man, crack a smile. His head lifts up and looks me dead in the eye. I flinch from this. It's as if he knew I was talking about him in my head! I raise my hand at him as a greeting and he ignores it, going back to his brooding. Guess that means I haven't even chipped the ice yet. Bummer.

Looking to my right, I find the missing biotic, speaking to our one and only Turian crew mate. I wonder what they're up to...Curiosity getting the better of me, I walk over to them, and they seem to take notice of me rather quickly.

Kaidan greets first, "Marcus, what's up, kid?"

There's that word again...Guess I better get used to it, doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon. "Not much," I say, "Just walking around, really." Taking another bite out of my energy bar, I notice a holographic display protruding out the side of the Mako. "What are you guys doing?"

"During our fight with the geth, we encountered some technical difficulties with main gun, they just backed up for some reason." He explains, "So, Garrus said he might be able to adjust it, so that it doesn't happen again."

"No, no," Garrus says, "I said I _definitely could_ adjust it so that it doesn't happen again. Make it even better than it was before." He tilts his head at our techie biotic, "C'mon, Alenko don't you doubt my calibrating abilities."

Oh my god, already using that word? Damn you Garrus and your calibrations! Couldn't have a decent conversation with you for like half of the second game. He shakes his head, smirking, "Don't doubt it for one second, Garrus; not after today." His attention returns to me, "I wanted to come and see for myself, might learn something new, you know?"

"Understandable," I answer, "By the way, how did the mission go for you guys?"

Garrus groans, "Oh, terrible! There were no welcome signs, barely any surprises; it was just bad hosting all around."

I smile amicably, "Don't tell me they forgot to bring cake?"

"Can you believe it? The nerve!"

The three of us chuckle for a few seconds before Kaidan speaks, "Things went alright on our end. Navigating was fairly simple with the geography of the planet, long as we stayed away from the hot zones. Garrus did wonders on the cannon, even if he did miss a few shots..."

"Only cause of your driving, Lieutenant," Garrus mumbles while clicking a few things on the display, "With you at the wheel, I'd have an easier time trying to shoot the eye out of a womp rat, than I would hitting a geth prime in the chest."

Damn, what a crack! Kaidan seems only amused by the roast, "Driving the Mako isn't exactly a walk in the park, it takes practice and experience to use the thing." He's not kidding, that shit was mad annoying back in the first game. I always detested having to drive it around everywhere. Oh, and on an uncharted planet? For fucks sake, the law of physics just don't exist!

"You would think." He quips, glancing at Kaidan with his mandibles spread out like a shit eating grin.

I couldn't strip away the smile that crept up on my face. It was so funny and entertaining to see them interact before my eyes, you never get to see much of it in the first game. Like watching two friends casually mess with each other.

"Anyway," Kaidan brushes off, "Tali did a great job maintaining our shields. To her credit, she works surprisingly well under pressure."

"I'm not surprised. Quarians are fantastic engineers, they have to be," I explain, "Growing up in an environment that pretty much depends on it—they're naturally tech savvy."

"Yeah, you're right." Kaidan agrees with me, "You sure know a lot about Quarians."

I rub the back of my head as a sense of anxiety reaches my chest. I suppose I've said too much, sort of. Though, maybe I can play this off..."I know _a lot_ of things about _a lot_ of species..." I shrug my shoulders and make a few gestures with my hand as I speak, "Growing up, I spent a lot of my free time on the computer, playing games, looking up stuff. I also had a family friend who used to travel around and he would to study up on all these things."

"That the conspiratist you mentioned before?" Garrus asks.

"What conspira—?" I caught myself mid sentence, "Uuuh, Yeah! Yep, that's the one..." I should really keep track of the things I say...

Kaidan speaks, "Well, I got to say, it's fascinating how someone your age knows so much. It's refreshing actually, makes me feel like I should know more."

I grin at the recognition of my knowledge. I have an unfair advantage over him, but it's still nice to be complemented. Besides, he's way more rounded than I am. I mean, what is all of this knowledge going to do for me when I'm in a fight? _'Alright, guys, enough shooting! It's story time!' The geth and the few krogan would throw their weapons down and sit criss-cross applesauce as I bring out the galaxy codex, eagerly awaiting for me to tell the tales of the galaxy._ Man, I would pay big money to see something as bizarre as that!

A light blinks on the holographic panel, prompting Garrus to say, "This is the important part. You're going to want to pay attention to this."

"Alright." Kaidan replies before turning to me, "We'll talk again later." He says it in a way to reassure me of it.

"Sure." I nod my head to them before leaving their proximity.

Since I'm down here already, I may as well see what Ashley is up to. Walking over there, I take another bite out of my energy bar, only a couple more before it's completely gone. Ash still seemed to be cleaning something, her chest plate from the looks of it. Always having to clean up your things after a mission must get pretty annoying, at least, I know _I_ would grow tired of it. Finally, she takes notice of me, still continuing her duties.

"Wuz good, mama?" I approach her with my best Beast-Boy impression.

She narrows her puzzled eyes at me and chuckles, "What did you just call me?"

I stutter for an answer, "It's not so much a title, more of a greeting. This super hero in an old cartoon would always say it to one of his teammates." You know, this brings up an interesting question... "Have you ever heard of Teen Titans?"

She smiles at the name, "Of course I heard of it!"

What? No way! Teen Titans still exists in this time? Or...universe? "Get out! Really?"

"Sure. My sister used to read the comics all the time," she explains. I see, maybe the comics are still going on then. "She was always into that old retro stuff, I should have known you were too."

I guess not. Wonder what happened to DC comics then...Wait a minute. " _Why_ should you have known?" I stand back and gesture my body from head to toe, "Is that the vibe I give off; that I'm a nerd?"

Looking me up and down, she tilts her head with a sly smile, "Well...yeah. That's not a bad thing, though. Nerds are cool, when they aren't total weirdos..."

"Which one do I categorize in?" I take another bite of the energy bar.

"You tried to fight somebody with a plunger." She states, "I think it's pretty clear where you're at."

Not cool man. Not cool at all. I shrug, "You can't just base it off of one act of desperation." I tell her, "Like how about after this last mission?"

"Hate to break it to you," She starts, "but that plunger thing is _never_ going away." I squint my eyes at her. I may not be able to do anything physically threatening, 'cause frankly, she'd wipe the floor with me. But I bet she won't 1v1 me in CSGO! "You did good. Really." the gunnery chief assures me, "Despite having to deal with _Wrex_ for a majority of the time." She put enough emphasis in his name that it came out like venom.

"It'd be safer to say: we did alright, despite Wrex having to deal with _me_." I admit to her. "I messed up more than a couple of times and he was picking up the slack like crazy. Lemme tell ya; those geth didn't stand a chance. And he saved my life." There's a slight chance I'm trying to make him sound more awesome to give him some brownie points with Ash, but it _is_ the truth.

She glances over at Wrex, analyzing the Krogan bounty hunter, "I guess you're right." She sighs before turning to me, "Sorry I wasn't there to back you up when we dropped."

I dismiss her apology with a wave of my hand, "Don't apologize, Ash. You can't control technology, shit just happens. We all made it, that's what matters."

She grins devilishly, "Bet that's not what you were thinking at the time."

"Oh hell no, are you kidding me? I was shitting bricks!" She laughs at my exaggeration and I chuckle along with her. It was nice to see her smiling, I never would have pegged her as someone who laughs so easily. In the game, she always seemed so serious; I mean she would smile and be happy when Shepard would speak to her about her sisters, but I've never seen her genuinely laugh. Well, other than that giggle she does in the Citadel DLC, but that wasn't because of a joke. No, we all know what _that_ was for...James Vega and his ripped, abnormally large muscles, Jesus Christ...

"So, any thoughts on our newest crew member?" I ask, changing the subject.

Her expression goes back to attention, "The Asari?" Her lips form a line as they press together, "I don't trust her. Being the daughter of Saren's right hand man, it seems too good to be true that she isn't somehow connected at all."

Damn, Liara was right on the money. "I don't know, you might be overthinking it." I take the last bite of my bar and ball the wrapper up in my hand.

She snickers quietly, "Figured you believed her, she seems like she trusts _you_."

"What sort of evidence do you have of this?" I ask, playfully raising an eyebrow.

"During the debrief," She begins, "When she wasn't speaking to Shepard directly, she was looking at you. Even while she was rambling on about the Protheans."

"Really? I guess I didn't notice." I must have not really connected it, or I zoned out, or something. Still, I feel happy knowing that she does.

Ashley crosses her arms, "Well, be careful with her. You don't know what she's capable of and you're the most innocent looking one out of all of us, so she might think you're easy prey."

What? I guffawed at her words, "Okay, now I _know_ you're overthinking it." Now might be a good time to ask, get it all out in the air so she can begin the process. "What's up with you and this distrust towards our non-human teammates?"

Her eyes go down, pondering before meeting mine again. Before she starts speak, she gets a ping on the computer behind her. I can't make out what it says on the screen, what with the glare from the small night lights bouncing off of it. That shit's annoying. After clicking a few things she turns back to me, "I gotta take this, it's my sister. But, we'll talk again later, 'kay?"

Funny. Almost exactly what Kaidan said..."Sure, yeah, no problem. Talk to you later then."

"Oh! And, training tomorrow morning, no exceptions." She calls out as I make my way back to the elevator.

I give her a thumbs up in response. I don't really feel like speaking to anyone else today; I think the lack of sleep is finally catching up to me...So much for it being called an 'energy' bar. I don't feel so hungry anymore, though, so I guess there's that.

I step into the elevator and lean against the wall as it takes me to the living quarters. Upon dozing off, the time spent getting there felt only about a few seconds. Walking out the elevator, I sluggishly trudge past the weight room and somehow end up in the showers. I don't remember taking my clothes off, but I was standing in the shower now, just enjoying the hot water trace down my body.

It's true what Tali says about the Normandy. The ship is so eerily quiet, and with only the sound of the water to fill the silence, it makes it that much spookier. As I stand there, listening to the music of the shower head, it's suddenly replaced by a cacophony of mechanical clicks. My heart practically leaps out of my chest as I panic and look around the curtain to pin point the source. But there was nothing. No Geth around. Just empty space. My mind was playing tricks on me...I pinch the bridge of my nose, breathing as calmly as possible to get my heart rate down. I need to get some sleep.

Turning off the shower, I brush my teeth and exit the bathroom. Once I was in my shared bedroom, I put on some more of Kaidan's clothes, which reminds me, I really need to go shopping...

I dispose of the towel back in the bathroom and find myself laying in bed. I don't even bother to put the covers over me as the world slowly slips away...

* * *

 **A/N** **: I hope you guys liked it, please let me know what you think! :D**

 **Now for the news. Nothing really big, just wanted to inform you guys that my finals are coming up in a few weeks, so my weekly update may stray away slightly. I'm going to do my best to make sure that doesn't happen; in fact, there may not be a change at all, but on the off chance that it does, you guys know why!**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys next week? :)**


	10. Pilot of the Normandy

Chapter 10: Pilot of The Normandy

The wailing of a thousand voices gripped at every nerve. Each individual screech worming it's way around my mind as the vision once again flashes before my eyes. Even as they open and I'm panting out the sensation of fear and anxiety, their screams still linger in the quietness of the room. I clutch my head with the false hope that if I clench hard enough, the cacophony of desperate pleas would fade away. Luckily, I'm not sure what did it, but things eventually return to the lull atmosphere of a sleeping Normandy.

Even with them gone, I remained in my bed, sitting upright as I take notice of my shaking hand. An effect that was becoming all too familiar lately. Despite the temperature being at a steady cool, it felt like I was in a sauna, slowly melting away. My clothes were damp from the sweating, as was my hair, which I was still holding on to for safety. There was one thing I could be grateful for—I didn't wet the bed this time. Though, placing my free hand on the mattress below me, it appears my sweating has also reached _that_ as well, lightly moistening the bed sheets.

Damn. That one was just as intense as the last one. When I slept peacefully last night, I figured the visions would happen sporadically, but I was seriously hoping for a larger time gap. It's only been a day since we came back from Therum. I'm still sore from the mission (which hit me more than I realized) and the hand-to-hand combat training I did with Ashley yesterday morning, but we honestly didn't do much. She only showed me how to punch and kick properly, stand correctly, and then some other stuff I'm having difficulty remembering at the moment.

I wonder how Shepard is doing with all this shit. Handling it like a boss, no doubt. Hell, she's probably sleeping like an angle in her Captain's quarters. They made it look so easy in the game, but I feel like I'm fucking dying, and I only got a _fraction_ of the vision! I clench my fist and slowly unclench to get it moving normally again. Still able to hear my heart beating in my ear, I pinch the bridge of my nose before letting out a quiet sigh. It's _way_ too hot in here, I should go wash my face...

With this thought, I toss my legs over the side of the bed to get myself moving, now being fully awake after having such a freakish nightmare. I'm surprised I'm not on Elm street at the moment...I try my best to make as little noise as possible as I drag myself over to the bathroom down the hall. The cold metallic floor against my bare feet was indescribably soothing. Especially when the sudden change in temperature sends a chill up my spine, I unconsciously let out a squeak as I embraced the cool and stretched my back.

I grip the sides of the sink with both hands, my reflection staring back at me from the mirror. I look like absolute shit right now. My brown hair was the definition of bed head, stretching to many different paths as it sees fit. Deep dark circles had formed underneath my chestnut brown eyes and my skin, which had a minute tint of a tan, was much paler than usual, like I had just seen a ghost. Technically, I _did_ see a ghost. More than one.

Well, like I said, absolute shit. I turn the nob of the sink, letting the cold water flow down into the basin as I cup some of it in my hands. Even with my hand shaking, I still manage to keep it together long enough for me to throw it on my face. The burst of cold water drenching my face manages to jar my senses, like a Pokémon snapping out of confusion (best way I can describe it really).

My breathing was fine now, but my hand refused to let go of the matter. It continued to jitter as I made a fist on the steel table top of the sink. For the next ten seconds or so, I was just staring at my reflection in the mirror. I've only been here for nearly a week and I feel like so much has happened already. Gameplay wise, all of this would have happened in the span of a few hours—thirty minutes on a speed-run and yet, I'm so goddamned tired.

Before I got here, I hadn't shaved in a few days, so the stubble was just getting there. But by now, it's grown quite a bit. Not to an extreme level, mind you, but it certainly was getting hard to look at. Took me a while to hit puberty growing up, but when it hit, it got me good. My facial hair grew much faster and proportionately better than my friends'. My cousins used to complement me on it, but I never thought the same. Unshaved, I looked like a homeless Squidward asking for spare change on the side of the road. I need to shave this shit soon. I would right now, but I'm not sure that'd be a good idea with the shaking hand and all.

The glint of a red light blinks in the corner of the mirror. At first I thought it was just the panel of the mirror being electronic or something. That was, until it decided to open it's 'eyes'. Six deathly golden-yellow eyes beeped awake as the figure emanates a mechanical cry. Out of impulse, my head immediately jerks around to see it in person. But, to my dismay (and quiet appreciation), there was no figure to look at. It was gone, just as quickly as it had arrived. I could feel my gut lurch with the weight of my anxiety being thrusted down on me again.

This is the second time I'm seeing and hearing things outside of a dream, which was much scarier to think about. After all, if I can't sleep or be awake in peace, when can I truly say that I'm safe?

"What are you looking at?"

I jump in surprise, squeaking out a yelp as I turn to face the source. There was Kaidan, standing in the doorway with a drained look glued to his face. He rubs one eye while making his way over to the sink and turning it off. I had forgotten I left it on.

"Bro, don't sneak up on me like that!" I warned him with a whisper.

"Not like I was trying to tip toe over here." He says, somewhat annoyed, "Why are you up so early?"

I lick my lips trying to come up with an appropriate response. This just goes back to the pride thing, wanting to prove to them that they don't need to worry about me. So, again, I lie, "My sleep schedule's still all kinds of fucked up, man. I'm surprised I even managed to sleep as much as I did, to be honest."

His expression tells me he remains unconvinced, though he may just be too tired to care at the moment. Nevertheless, he doesn't question it further, "Well, try not to make so much noise when you wake up, eh?"

I nod my head sheepishly, "Right. I'll do that. Very sorry, by the way."

"It's cool," he replies, still befuddled by sleep, "Do you want me to get you anything?"

I smile at his offer, though, I have a feeling he'd keel over in the middle of the hallway mid-destination, "Nah, I'm good. You can go back to sleep, I'm gonna try and go back to bed soon too."

"Alright, then, goodnight." He exits the bathroom with a wave of his hand, pivoting into the desired bedroom.

There was no way in hell I was going back to sleep.

The illusion, coupled with Kaidan's jump scare managed shock my senses awake, so the chances of me getting anymore sleep tonight was slim to none. Well, if I'm not going to go back to sleep, I may as well leave the crew quarters. Don't wanna wake anyone else up. Kaidan was delicate with the matter, but I doubt someone like Wrex would react any differently from a fist to the face. And getting punched in the jaw by a krogan? I'd be losing a lot more than just a tooth...

I shudder at the thought. Quietly, I grab my only pair of shoes from the room and slip them on as I make my way through the dimly lit corridor (it's meant to act as a sort of nightlight) until I reach the elevator. It exits on the second floor, where the cafeteria is located, and I step out. The last time this happened, I found Shepard here. Maybe she's awake again too?

Rounding the corner, not sure why, but I find myself disappointed at the fact that she wasn't sitting there this time. It would have been nice to speak to her, maybe even ask if she was going through the same thing I was. Guess not...Though there is _somebody_ in the cafeteria at the moment and it's probably the last person I would have expected to run into here. They were pouring what appeared to be more than a few packets of sugar into a gray-black mug as I approach them somewhat eagerly.

"Joker?"

The arm that was shaking the packets of sugar into the mug jerk at the sound of my voice, scattering bits of white on the counter. His head cranes to me with a scowl, "Holy sh-hi-hit." He says breaking the swear with a shaky exhale, "What the hell are you doing up? You almost made me break my arm!"

He's exaggerating, right? I mean, his arm only jerked slightly, but then I'm not sure how Vrolik syndrome feels exactly.

"Sorry," I apologized as meaningfully as I could, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

He groans and then releases a defeated sigh, "No. _I'm_ sorry. I tend to get a little cranky at around this time of night." Our pilot begins to sweep the sugar bits with his hands, throwing the excess away in the sink, "My question still applies, though. What are you doing up before everyone else?"

I felt the chill breeze from the a/c unit above me as I stuttered with my response, "I-I-it was just...hard. For me to sleep the full cycle, I mean. Haven't gotten used to it yet."

He nods his head, "Yeah, that makes sense. For a second there, I thought you were going to say it was the vision keeping you up. Can't be easy after some prehistoric technology mind fucks you." That's too good for a guess. How would he know? My facial expression must have changed slightly because he catches on to it instantly, "That's it isn't it?"

Something tells me he wasn't going to believe any other lie I told him, so I slump my shoulders with a frown and nod my head, "Please don't say anything..."

He smirks, but I don't know if it's because I've essentially sold myself out, or if it's because he managed to see through my lie, "'Course not. If you don't want to tell anyone, then, that's _your_ business, kid."

I don't even wince at the nickname, instead releasing a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." I tell him, "How did you know it was the vision keeping me up, though?"

He points to my eyes, "That look in your eyes—Shepard had it too just a moment ago. There isn't much that gets to that woman, and believe me, she's been through _a lot_. But then this Prothean vision gets engraved in her brain. Talking about doomsday, metal things with sharp scary claws, and suddenly, she's an insomniac." He looks me up and down, "If that thing is making _her_ lose sleep, I can't imagine what it's doing to _you_."

Wow, Shepard must be having these nightmares just like me then...That makes me feel slightly better about all of it. This means it's got nothing to do with weakness, since Commander Shepard, is _far_ from being weak. It gives me hope that I can deal with this, because if Shepard is struggling with all of this and somehow pushes through it, then so can I!

"I'll be fine." I assure him, without the confidence boost I had just given myself in my head.

He shrugs his shoulders, "If you say so..."

As Joker limps over to where the coffee pot was stationed, I ask, "So, Shepard was just here?"

"Yes, I...believe I _just_ mentioned that, right?" He sarcastically asked with a side-wards glance.

Okay, cranky Joker is even more of a smart ass than usual...I still chuckle though. Like I said, I have a varied sense of humor. But damn, I guess I just missed her. Makes me wonder how long she's been up for exactly.

"I take it, _she_ made that pot then?" I point to the coffee pot he was grabbing a hold of.

"Correctamoondoh." He acknowledges while pouring it into his cup, "You want some?"

I visibly cringe from the memory of having drank it the first time, "Nah, I'm good. I'm not sure it should even be called coffee."

This time Joker laughs, a bit more than I was expecting, but it makes me smile. I made _the_ Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, _laugh_! That's crazy!

"I know what you mean," he admits, "that's one reason I put so much sugar in mine. It hides a lot of the bitterness."

"And the other reason?"

"Eh, it helps to bring out my witty and charming nature." He replies with a smug grin. I snicker at his response and he limps over next to me, carefully trying not to spill the coffee. "Listen, I gotta get back up and pilot the ship, are you gonna go back to sleep soon? Be honest."

I shake my head, "Don't think so..."

"Then how would you like to keep me company til' everyone else wakes up? Unless, you have something better to do?"

Shit, that actually sounds like a fun time. Chilling with Joker until the sun comes up (so to speak). I almost reply too quickly, "Yeah, sure. I'm down."

"Cool. C'mon this way."

We start walking side by side to the stairway that leads up, but I find myself having to regulate my speed to his own, what with the limping and all. He's also trying to balance the coffee on top of that, so it makes him even slower.

"You want me to carry that for you?" I ask him.

"I'm _good_." He says with a bit of frustration.

"Okay..." I said, "Just trying to help."

His face grimaces with a sigh, "Thanks for the offer, really. But I've been doing this my whole life already. Not a big fan of 'sympathy assistance'. Plus, like I said, I'm a little cranky..."

I see, it's a pride thing then...Never knew Joker to be so prideful about anything other than his piloting skills. Goes to show, he's just another human being like the rest of us...

"Do you get a lot of, 'sympathy assistance,' having Vrolik syndrome?"

"How'd you know this was Vrolik syndrome?" He questions with a tilt of his head.

"I, uh, read about it on the internet, one of those sites that give info about a medical diagnosis everyday?" He nods, still staring at me. I'm actually impressed with myself for coming up with such a quick excuse, "Brittle bone disease, right?"

"You're exactly right. Kaidan wasn't joking, you really are pretty smart—though no one's called the 'extranet', the 'internet' in about a hundred years." Hmm, well that's good to know for later. He continues, "Yeah, got a lot of it growing up. After awhile, it just got frustrating, people always treating me like I was a piece of glass waiting to crack. Er, even if it sort of is the case."

"No, no, no, I understand. You don't want people to assume that you're someone who needs to constantly be taken cared of." He shakes his head in confirmation, "I know the feeling, hell, that's how I feel being _here_." I gesture to the air around us with my hands.

"Can you really blame them?" He asks as we near the door.

"Can _you_?"

"Touche."

The door whooshes open as we reach it and step through. The CIC galaxy map was shut off, as were many of the terminals located on the side lines of the deck where the ship crew does their thing. Only a few of them were lit, the ones being where the skeleton crew of the Normandy were still hard at work. This must be the boring side from working on the Normandy, I mean, what is there to do while everyone else is asleep? Wait—Is that guy playing _Galaga_?

I side step over to the terminal. Galaga was one of my mom's favorite games, so naturally, she passed it on to me when I was growing up and I absolutely love it. It's strange that such a simple game still exists in this day and age... "Niiice." I comment to the guy who was playing. He glances to me over his shoulder and suddenly looks annoyed. He clicks a few things on the keyboard and the screen 'alt tabs' out of the game. That was weird...

Jumping back next to Joker, I ask, "What was _that_ about?"

Joker waves his hand, "Don't worry about, Meredith. He's just got a stick up his ass."

We continued walking down the pathway, exchanging glances with some of the other crew members. By the time we reached the bridge, I realized that almost all of them (with the exception of one or two crew members) gave me some type of a dirty look.

"And what's their excuses?" I inquire with a hand at my waist.

"What are you talking about?"

I gesture to those that we passed by, "They all looked at me as if I took a massive piss in their cereal!"

"No! No, they uh..." He exhales, defeated, "Alright, you wanna know the truth?"

I squint my eyes at him, "What truth?"

"They don't like you much."

...

What?

"Wh-wait...They don't? Why not?"

"Well, a lot of them see you as too young and immature to be working on the Normandy, especially since you're not in the Alliance either." He explains to me. Damn, I knew some people were unhappy about the Alien team members being on board, but _me_? This definitely caught me off guard...

"But I managed to impress Shepard enough for her to keep me," I blurt out in defense, "And the ground team seems to think I did alright during our mission on Therum."

"You're right, you've done alright so far." He admits, "And as long as you're under Shepard's wing, you don't have to worry about them. Hell, I wouldn't worry about them regardless."

"Yeah, but still..." I have this uncontrollable need to always be on somebody's good side. Don't know why, I just hate to be disliked by someone. Like, what did I do to deserve your disdain? Because of this, I've always been neutral to certain arguments, never fully picking a side until it mattered.

"You have to see it from their point of view." He begins, "The Normandy is still a prototype and one of the most advanced ships in galaxy—most Alliance soldiers consider it an honor just to take a _tour_ of this baby. All of these guys had to work their asses off to be offered a position here, and you just waltzed right in."

"Never really thought about it like that..." I glance back at the skeleton crew before eyeing the Pilot, "Do you feel that way too?"

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not that shallow, Marcus." Putting up a defensive hand, he continues, "As long as you don't make more than I do and you stay away from flying _her_ , you'll get no complaints out of me." This makes me laugh, "Now then, let me get back to my seat."

Joker spins the chair around and settles into it (very carefully) while I stand next to him. In the games, they never made it clear how piloting works, just that you don't have to use your feet. This is something that would be interesting to learn about, I think, because looking at this from a first glance? I could get a better understanding trying to read Japanese then comprehending any of _this_.

"You seem lost." Joker comments.

"Was I that obvious?" I quip back to him, "It's like trying to figure out _The Matrix_ without an explanation."

"You've seen _The Matrix_?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

Wait. Does that mean _he_ has seen _The Matrix_?

"A friend of mine is into really old movies, so he downloads the one's he hears about and we watch them." That's partly true. We'd always find some link on the internet and just stream it on our computers. Not sure how it works in the future, though. "How do _you_ know about it? That movie's almost two centuries old."

He points a thumb behind him, "Remember how you saw Meredith playing Galaga back there?" I nod my head, "We usually get a lot of free time on this shift, so I gotta find _some_ way to keep myself busy 'til the boss wakes up."

I smile wryly, "Isn't it incredibly dangerous for our pilot to be distracted while everyone's asleep?"

"I can multi-task," He answers matter-of-factually, "Besides, it's not like we'll be crashing into an asteroid field the moment I take my eyes off the monitor."

That again brings the question back to my mind, "How do you fly this thing?"

" _'Thing?'_ Don't say that so loud, she'll hear you!" He scolds me in a whisper.

I go along with it, bowing discreetly, "My apologies. I meant, 'How do you fly this, beautiful lady?'"

"There we go, that's better..." He acknowledges the correction, "Many factors come into play when it comes to getting her to fly, but I assume you're asking about the controls in general?" I nod my head, "Well, it's a whole lot of science on paper, but in reality it's about memorizing certain movements for different codes and frequencies. For example, if I wanted to bring the main guns online," he motions a few swipes and turns with his arms on the terminal expertly before another holographic panel is displayed with what appeared to be a switch, "All I'd have to do is input that code, as you just saw, and press this button right here."

I cross my arms, trying to get a grip on the lesson, "So once you push that button, the Normandy will automatically lock onto it's target and fire?"

"No." He simply says, "Locking onto a target is another step, usually done by the person operating the scanners to my left. Though, I, the pilot, could do it myself if I had to."

"Okay, I see. Does that mean you could operate all of the ships functions by yourself?"

"Technically speaking, yes, I could. But it would mean more work for me to do during a tense situation." He smiles devilishly, "It would definitely be nice to have a challenge like that, one day."

You'll certainly be getting it in about two years Joker. When that Suicide mission comes up and the crew gets abducted, you'll have to fend for yourself. Unless...Maybe I can change that somehow. Eh, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it...

"I've always wanted to be a pilot." I say wistfully, "Not a space ship like this or something, but more of like a plane or a glider, you know? That's what I was going to school for anyway."

"So you wanted to fly the retro way? Locally, like on Earth?"

"Uhm. I love the feeling of being up in the clouds, soaring with the currents of the wind, and seeing everything from a new perspective. It's absolutely breathtaking."

"Pfft, I disagree." Joker...disagrees, "Flying through space is way cooler."

"Cooler, yes. But not as relaxing."

He kicks his feet up and takes a sip of his coffee, "Can you do _this_ on a plane?"

"Maybe not, but I don't see myself getting roped into a war while cruising in the air."

He shrugs his shoulders, "Well, even the greatest things have a downside." He rubs his nicely shaped beard, formulating another thought, "If you wanted to learn how to fly planes, what were you doing on Eden Prime? It's just a colony of farmers."

"Vacation." I say as yet another lie, "Had to get away from the family for a bit."

Now I'd kill for a chance to just get a hug from my mom again...

...

"Goes to the most unlikely places for a vacation and suddenly gets roped in to save the galaxy." He says, "Who would have thought?"

"Certainly not I."

Setting his coffee down, he turns to me, "If you want, I can teach you a few things about piloting ships if you'd like?"

My eyes widen, "You mean, you'll teach me how to fly the Normandy?"

"What are you crazy? Of course not!" I knew it was too good to be true... "I'm the _only_ one who can pilot the Normandy. You'd have to pry the seat from my cold, broken, dead hands to take her from me. I could teach you the basics for shuttle flying, though."

"You'd do that?" I ask.

"Sure. If you're really interested in learning how to fly, then I don't see why not, and it would give me something else to do on my downtime." He says.

"Wouldn't that be a lot of work for you? I don't wanna add to that..."

His smile becomes crooked, "It's not as difficult as you think. There's an app you can download to practice it, but it'll take you years to master."

I'm being offered training by the best pilot in the Alliance fleet, this is like a no hesitation type of answer! However... "I appreciate the offer, but I feel like I already have enough on my plate, trying to learn how to keep up with some of the best soldiers in the galaxy right now."

"I understand, believe me I do. But I'm only _offering_ it to you. _You_ have to decide if you want to see how far down the rabbit hole goes." He smirks, putting his arms out and laying his hands flat on the air, "So what'll it be? The Red pill, or the Blue pill?"

I narrow my eyes at him. How incredibly corny...But awesome at the same time! "I'll think about it."

He grins at my answer, "Alright. Just let me know whenever, then." He takes another sip from his coffee, "So what other old movies have you watched?"

Hmm...

"Have you ever seen, '2001: A Space Odyssey'?"

His eyes go wide with an elated smile, "Marcus, you and I are gonna get along just fine."

* * *

 **A/N:** **I had originally planned this chapter to be something else, but wound up scrapping the whole idea due to my realization that, I haven't shown Joker once outside of his voice being on the intercom. Since Joker is one of my favorite characters in the series, I felt the need to give him at least a chapter for an introduction in getting to know Marcus.**

 **That being said, I hope I wrote him well enough, so please let me know what you thought? I LOVE hearing from you guys and I promise, if it wasn't good enough, I'll do a much better job of it here on out!**

 **The next chapter or so will be sort of like a time jump chapter(s). Events and character conversations that just happen during the span of a week, until finally reaching our next main mission. Feros! So yeah, fun stuff :)**

 **Again, I'll try to keep the updates to being weekly, but I can't promise anything. I had to push myself to even get _this_ one out, but the update will come. I Promise! If not on Tuesday, then maybe Wednesday or Thursday.**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys soon! (Oh and Happy-early-Thanksgiving) :)**


	11. Serious Talks and Teachings

**A/N : Hey everyone! Before you start reading, I just want to warn you that there is brief talk of religion in this chapter, so if that offends you, I do apologize. My opinions are not meant to give offense to anyone, but please don't judge me for them. I'll respect your beliefs and I hope you can respect mine.**

 **Now then, on to the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Serious Talks and Teachings

I release of puff of air and wince as my back slams to the floor for the fifth time today (which Ash so gleefully informed me). We're in the middle of our hand-to-hand _training_ , but really I feel like it's more of a way for Ash to kick my ass and feel better about herself. That's not the case, of course, but it's better than admitting to myself that I'm just terrible at this... My lack of sleep definitely wasn't making anything easier either. I wound up conversing with Joker until everybody else woke up and, to my dismay, the Gunnery Chief wasted no time getting me into my sparring gear. Fun stuff.

Once the black spots clear from my vision, her face suddenly pops up, "Learn your lesson yet?"

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that the only reason she was kicking my ass right now, was because of some witty comment I had said before we started. I don't even remember what it was anymore (which shows just how harmless—and unnecessary—it was), but it was enough to get her annoyed with me and change the whole regiment she had planned for me today. Originally, she intended to show me different fighting techniques for self-defense, or how to take the advantage in a 1v1. Instead, all she told me was to try and land a hit on her. My exact words from that were: "So all I have to do is hit on you?" I couldn't help it. It was as if she set me up for it! It was golden! But no. She just glared at me said that now, she was gonna hit back.

If there was one thing I learned from this... "Yeah, you're certainly not a morning person..." She scowls at me and I respond quickly, in the hopes that I don't get pummeled embarrassingly again. "Okay, okay, I get it. I'm sorry, I'll...try to take this more seriously...Are we done?"

She pouts mockingly, "Awww, are you getting angry? It must suck having your ass handed to you, huh?"

"By someone who's older than me and has far more experience doing this sort of thing?" I retort with my eyebrows raised, "No, in fact, I feel honored. Besides, I'm used to getting my ass kicked." She tilts her head at me, thinking about something, "Seriously though, are we done?"

She offers a hand to me and I take it gladly, "One more time. Give me your best shot. Then we can take a water break and start the actual training I had planned."

"Sounds good to me." Water actually sounds like sweet heaven right about now. I didn't realize how parched I was until she brought it up. I almost feel like just throwing myself back on the ground to get it over with, but knowing her, she'd probably give me even more to do _and_ cancel the water break...

With this in mind, I take my fighting stance, the same one that she had shown me yesterday. She takes her own stance and we each circle around the mat, waiting for the other to make a move. We were both standing about six feet away from each other, so charging was not an option since there wasn't much room for it. I could try and go for her legs, get her down and try to hold her in place. All my other attempts so far have consisted of me throwing a punch, which she just winds up blocking and throwing me over her shoulder. Whatever I do, I need to decide on something fast.

I don't get a chance to do so. To my surprise, Ashley is the one who moves first, but instead of me trying to block or defend myself in someway, I think my first reaction was to expect a hit, so I flinched at her swift movements. She slides on the ground and sweeps her legs fiercely along the mat to the back of my calves. The next thing I felt was my back and head hit the ground (thank god for training gear, or that would have hurt a lot more). Oh, I'm seeing spots again...Her face comes back into view, a triumphant smirk stretching to her left cheek. I just look at her and release a heavy sigh.

"Now?"

"Now."

I'm lifted back up as I grab her offered hand once more. Once I'm up, she pats my back as a way to make sure that I'm okay and I just nod my head to her. I'm still trying to compose myself as I follow her to the benches and sit down. She grabs two water bottles from the cooler (which auto generates—so fresh) and hands me one, before unscrewing hers and taking a seat next to me.

I twist the cap off the bottle, beads of condensation dripping down the sides, and I take a swig from it. After a few gulps of the cold satisfying liquid, my throat doesn't feel as dry as before and I exhale happily. Having the head gear on is annoying as fuck, even if it _did_ help prevent a few possible concussions. I undo the straps to the gear piece and place it next to me, feeling the a/c brush through my obviously messed up hair felt almost as good as drinking the water.

"So I've got a question." Ash mentions.

I tilt my head towards her, "Shoot."

She corks her water bottle before asking, "What did you mean before? About being used to getting your ass kicked?"

"My little sister," I answer with a smile.

She rolls her eyes and (I shit you not) face-palms, "Oh my god."

"Yep. Growing up, she would always try to assert dominance in just about everything." I begin, "Whether it was in a game, arguments, or knowledge, _she_ had to be the one who was correct, or in charge." I chuckle at the thought, "I actually have a few family members like that, but she was the most persistent of the bunch. Anyway, I was skinnier than a toothpick as a kid, so she was actually stronger than me."

"You're _still_ not very strong." She comments with a challenging grin.

"No, but I mean I was _very_ weak." I emphasis while ignoring her playful insult, "Like I had trouble holding up a milk gallon for more than five seconds." Her eyes go wide followed by 'wow' before I continue, "As the years went by, I grew stronger and she stayed the same for the most part, but I still let her feel like she had that dominance."

"Why?"

"Because she's my sister." I say, as simple as it sounds. My sister and I have a—Er... _Had_ a good relationship. We were closer than normal brothers and sisters usually are known for (we didn't argue much) and despite being thirteen months apart, we were raised like twins. "She needed that dominance more than I did. I don't need to be in charge of an event or be the best at something, but she did. Hell, she enjoys that sort of thing, whereas I, don't really much care for it. So I don't mind acting like the weakling and taking a few hits, as long it made her happy. Besides, she didn't hit really hard."

"Well aren't you the sweet older brother." She says teasingly, trying to pinch my cheek.

I slap it away with my hand playfully, "Yeah, yeah, tease me all you want. I don't care."

She laughs, "You're ridiculous."

"How come?"

"When you said you were used to getting your ass kicked, I thought you were being serious."

"I was." I tell her, "I mean, I got bullied when I was kid, if that's what you mean...But it was more verbal abuse than any physical damage."

She responds with just a sound she makes as she takes a sip from her water. Maybe now would be a good time to ask about her background, even if I know a bit about it already...It would be good for me, because than I won't have to watch what I say all the goddamn time.

As she finishes drinking, I ask, "The other day, after the mission, you got a call from _your_ sister, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. But, I have four sisters." This time I make a sound as I drink my water, "The one you're talking about is Sarah. She's the youngest of us all and I'm the oldest."

I wipe the remaining water off my lips, "Four sisters, huh? Wow. You guys must have been at each others throats." Playing stupid is so...stupid. I wish I didn't have to do it...

"You'd think that would be the case, but not with us." She says laughing, "With dad frequently being deployed all the time, we kind of had to help take care of each other growing up. That brought us all closer together."

"Were you guys close to your Father too?" I ask, again, already knowing the answer, "Being deployed all the time couldn't have been easy."

"It had it's ups and downs, but my family comes from a long line of Alliance soldiers, going all the way back to my great grandmother." She explains, "We've learned how to deal with it, and in a way, that made all of his visits back that more enjoyable, you know? As if every second counted. I'm afraid I'm on _his_ side of the coin now. I don't get to see my sisters nearly as much as I want to."

She appears as if she wants to add something else, but she hesitates. This conversation sounds kind of similar to the one in-game, so if I'm right, than it should be something to do with poetry...

 _"'I cannot rest from travel: I will drink  
_ _Life to the Lees; all times I have enjoy'd  
_ _Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those_  
 _That loved me, and alone.'"_

Oh, look at that! I was right.

"What was that?" I ask snickering. I know it's Tennyson, but I wouldn't if it wasn't for this game. As far as poetry goes, I don't know _Jack or Jill_.

"It's 'Ulysses', by Alfred Tennyson. It was my dad's favorite." She smiles innocently like a four year old, "He would record me reading it every time before he shipped out."

"I assume he still enjoys it?"

"I sure hope so." She says, "I read it to him every time I visit his grave."

Fuck...I should have said something else. I feel lower than garbage now...

"I'm sorry, Ash, I had no idea." I apologize, lying about my reasoning.

"How could you know?" She asks, though it was more of a question out loud sort of thing. "It's okay. I know he's in a better place now."

I gently nod my head, "Right."

She must have noticed something in my expression, "Um, I didn't weird you out just now, did I?"

"Hmm?"

"You know, because I believe in God..." She clarifies, "Most people usually are."

I shake my head to her, "Nah, I'm quite open minded. You can believe in any _thing_ or any _one_ you want to, so long as you don't judge me for not believing in the same. Everyone's entitled to their own beliefs, and I used to be christian... _once_." I tell her, "But after seeing how terrible things are in the world? It's better to believe that we have to find solace in each other, rather than from some God people preach about in a book."

Ash bobs her head up and down, listening intently, "Okay, Mr. _Optimist_. What do you believe in then?"

"I'd like to say I'm agnostic, but I'm not really sure that would describe it, since I _do_ believe in the supernatural." I rub the bottom of my chin as I continue, "I believe that there is an afterlife, but I can't say that it's a heaven or hell, just somewhere we go after we die. In life, there is no God or Devil, just the good and the bad. And it's up to us as a sentient being to decide which one we want to be. The Good. Or the Bad."

"Wow, those are some deep thoughts for an eighteen year old."

I laugh a little harder than I should have, "What can I say? My mind wanders."

She grins and looks up at the clock set up on the east wall, "Break time's over. Enough with the real talk, let's get back to it."

"Yes mam!"

Setting my water bottle down, I jump back on to my place on the mat, ready to begin the actual lesson.

* * *

Three days have passed since the Therum mission now. I thought we'd be going straight to Feros or Noveria after we'd picked up Liara, but apparently they aren't even options yet. I asked Shepard yesterday where she thought we'd be going towards next and she said we're currently waiting on the Council to give us more Intel on Saren's movements. Makes sense, since in the game you get all three tips at once, but if you're not on that mission, than it's as if time doesn't move there. Leaving you free to do whatever the fuck you want until the time comes for you to bite the bullet and play the main story. But here, time doesn't slow down. So if we were given those tips at the same time, then they'd all be happening at once, and it's not like we can simultaneously be in three places across the galaxy.

Anyway, since we're waiting on more Intel, we have to resort to the side quests Shepard's been getting from Admiral Hackett. Right now, Shepard just took Kaidan, Ashley, Liara, and Wrex with her to do the Luna mission, where EDI is a rogue VI. I think I would have liked to see EDI in her Pre-Normandy state, but then again, getting shot at by turrets doesn't sound all too appealing...

With them gone, that left me, Garrus, and Tali back on the Normandy to do as we see fit. Tali is almost definitely in engineering and Garrus is probably calibrating his toothbrush to it's maximum efficiency or something. I, however, by the orders of Miss Ashley Williams, am practicing my firearms. Yesterday, I was practicing my pistol shooting with Liara, who was also trying to learn. She may be skilled in her biotics, but she _was_ only an archaeologist. It always _did_ throw me off that she somehow automatically flew into combat in the first game... Anywho, she wanted to be of as much use to the team as possible, so Shepard gave her the green light and we began practicing together. To her credit, she did pretty well for her first time, even did better than me (though I hate to admit it...). The future Shadow Broker has a natural affinity for it. I think I've gotten relatively used to the pistol, so both Ash and I agreed that I should try to learn with the assault rifle now.

I had three stations set up for use. The first one is for single shooting. The second for bursting and the third for spraying. The only one I seem to not be failing at is the single shots. Each bullet lands relatively close to the other on the board and as I was starting to feel good about myself, the other two ended with less than satisfactory results...With bursting I was having difficulty keeping it centered, so the bullets always flew up slightly. My spraying was just pitiful.

After redoing my cycle at each board, I allow the weapon to cool down as I tenderly massage my shoulder. The recoil on these things are no joke, having to balance the gun with my shoulder is a pain in the neck (literally, due to the way my neck curves while I aim down the sight). Still, it seems like the balancing doesn't help for shit. "How the hell do I get it to stay still?" I mutter to myself.

"Are you sure you're leaning into it right?" A flanging voice chimes in from behind me.

I blanched at the suddenness of his presence, "Jesus Christ, why does everybody on this ship keep _doing_ that?!"

"We have a club." He says, mandible stretching as he steps towards me. Cheeky bastard's probably smirking, the wise ass.

"Why am I not invited to this club?" I ask playing along.

He gestures with his talon, raising it up to the top of his chest plate, "You need to be a certain height to join."

Damn, now we're making cracks against my height? Okay... "Alright, so I'm short, I can grow. You're so ugly it pains me to look at you sometimes, so what can _you_ do?"

"Me? I don't have to do anything," He pats the side of his face with a talon, "the ladies _love_ the face paint."

I burst out laughing—there's no way I can keep a straight face after that, "Don't you have something to go calibrate?"

He raises a brow plate, "Not at this very moment...but maybe in an hour or two." I roll my eyes at him, "Just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing."

"I'm doin' alright."

"Really? 'Cause from where I'm standing," He glances at each of the three targets before releasing a flanging chuckle, "It doesn't look too good."

The derision of his comment was palpable in the way he said it, which may not have been his intention, but it bothered me nonetheless. Garrus is a good shot, so maybe he can teach me something. Ash isn't here after all, so he could be like her substitute. I conceded with a sigh, "Got any notions as to how I can make myself better?"

"Maybe." He says, "Walk me through what you were doing."

I showed him my routine of the three lanes I was using and he stayed quiet until we arrived at the last one. The spraying lane... "This is my worst one. No matter what I do, I can't seem to keep the rifle still enough to shoot straight."

His dark blues eyes flutter around to different things, which makes me assume he's trying pour his thoughts into a consensus. After a few seconds, he speaks, "Could be that you're just not good with it."

I glare at him, lips pursed into a straight line, "I think we've already established that, _captain obvious_. That's why I'm working at it."

He stares at me with a...confused look? It's too difficult with Turians... "Captain obvious?"

Oh, right. That's human lingo. "Captain obvious is a human expression. It's what you call someone who, 'points out the obvious', or mentions something that everybody already knows."

"So it's an insult?" I shrug my shoulders in response and he nods his head, "Okay...Anyway, what I meant by: 'you're not good with it'? I was talking about the rifle in general." I _still_ don't see the point...He seems to pick up on this and continues his reasoning, "Take a look at each of your shots. Your spraying is awful and your bursting is still a work in progress. But your single shots? I must admit, they're surprisingly accurate."

A complement by the bad ass marksman himself. Mental high-five!

"Basically you're saying that I should stick to the single shot option on here?" I inquire.

He scoffs, "Not on _that_ rifle. The lancer was specifically made for rapid fire, so the bullets by themselves don't do much damage alone. It needs to constantly hit an enemy to properly take them down, otherwise, you'll be shooting at them all day."

A bit of an exaggeration but I see his point, "But, Ash told me this one was the easiest to use. It's the one _she_ first learned with."

"In usual cases, sure." He admits, "But it wasn't the one _I_ first started with."

"What was yours then?"

"My beginner rifle was the Vindicator, popularly known for its accurate burst fire." Oh, that's the same gun you find when you pick him up in Mass Effect 2. What a coincidence... "It's commonly used with Mercenary groups in the Terminus systems, but, the Turian military uses them too."

"That where you learned how to shoot?" I ask with genuine curiosity.

"Yeah, mostly." He answers tersely before adding a bit more, "My father taught me how to shoot a pistol when I was a child. But when I turned fifteen, I joined the military like _every_ Turian does at that age, and got my training done there."

I've always thought it was fucked up how it was mandatory for Turians to join the military at the age of fifteen. Then again, we're talking about a race that's built around their military strength. Really shows how strong of a people the Turians are when you think about it. I'd like to see the U.S. draft kids at the age of fifteen, oohf that would suck badly for them. I can see the rioting parents and the migrations to Canada now...

"My point is," Garrus says, trying to get back on topic, "You don't start out with a rifle because you're told it's 'the easiest to learn'. Instead, you have to think of the rifle as an extension of yourself, like having another arm." He explains rather philosophically, "You need that 'new arm' to adjust with your senses as soon and as fluent as possible. So you begin with what you're _best_ at, and over time, you'll master what you're _worst_ at." He points a talon to my first lane, "In your case, your _best_ are single shots."

"Okay. Well, you already said the Lancer is terrible for single shots," I remind him, "So what do you suggest I use?"

He bends down slightly, contemplating, before moving to the weapons locker. As he begins making his way back to me, my eyes widen with delight at the sight of the rifle. I almost mouth the words with him as he flashes it to me.

"The Mattock heavy rifle." He announces, "It certainly earns it's name, being heavier than usual assault rifles—not by much, but you'll need to get used to the weight. That's about the only downside to it. The rounds do a lot of damage and it's specifically designed for single shots, which makes the recoil hardly noticeable and the bullets that much more accurate."

He hands me the rifle and after setting the lancer down, I take it with both hands. He wasn't kidding about the weight, my arms nearly buckled from it as soon as he loosened his hold. It wasn't something I couldn't get the hang of though. This was my favorite gun in the second game, I felt damn near unstoppable with it. Actually, the weapon became _so_ popular, that it was the rifle they showed Shepard using in the first Mass Effect 3 demo. I'm pretty sure they nerfed it when the main game came out though...

I step into the first lane and position myself into a shooting stance. Once I had the rifle shouldered and held properly, I squeezed the trigger. Maybe it's because I was expecting the kick, but the bullet came out more abrupt than past experience has led me to believe. Now that I know about it, it won't happen again. I reposition the weapon, aiming it downrange once again and squeeze the trigger a second time. The bullet sounds off like a rock hitting stones as it finds its mark. I pull the trigger a third time, a fourth, a fifth; each of them hitting the spots I was generally aiming for. Lowering the Mattock, I hold it out in front of me, marveling at the beauty of the gun as I caress the ridges on the sides of the casing with my thumb.

"So?" Garrus asks, "How does it feel?"

I flash him a toothy grin, "It's perfect!"

"Good," He beams, mandibles spreading with a smile, "Your accuracy certainly is impressive, especially for how quickly your learning all these things."

I shift my shoulders into a circular motion, "Well, it helps that I'm not getting shot at..."

He snickers lightly at that, "You'll get used to it in time, trust me."

"Maybe, but it doesn't help that I'm pretty much useless against living people."

He nods his head, "Yeah. I noticed that back on the Citadel." I shouldn't be surprised, him being a detective and all, there's probably not a lot that gets past him, "I think I may have an idea for that."

I cock my head sideways, "Really?"

"Training rounds aren't designed to kill, but if you're hit with one, it'll sting badly." He explains, "If I can somehow calibrate it to the point where it can break through shields and just knock the person unconscious..." He trails off and then shrugs, "I don't know, it's just an idea."

"Still, that'd be awesome, Garrus." I tell him, "You can actually find a way to do that?"

"With enough time, sure." He assures me, "But I can't promise anything."

I can understand that. Even making an attempt to do that for me means _a lot._ Then I can actually fight back against people without having to worry about killing them, "Well, thanks a lot, bro."

I present my fist to him and he stares down at it curtly, "Do all humans say thank you by showing their fists?"

"Only the cool ones," I say jokingly, "You're supposed to fist bump it."

"Erm...okay." He makes a fist with his talon and awkwardly bumps his hand against mine (which hurt slightly, due to the fact that he's got armor on).

"We'll work on it."

"Alright...Humans are...an interesting species, to say the least." Garrus comments out loud. As I stand there chuckling, he picks up a Vindicator from the armory, "So, how's about a friendly game of competition?"

Whelp, I'm gonna get my ass whooped, but why the hell not? This could be a good teammate bonding thing. "You're on!"

He steps into the lane next to mine and clicks a few things on the panel to his right, "Whoever shoots the most targets within thirty seconds, wins."

"Good deal."

The buzzer counts down from three, blaring annoyingly as it starts the first round.

* * *

 **A/N : I was going to add another scene here, but decided to save it for the next chapter due to the absence of enough time...That being said, I'll do my best to get the next chapter up by Tuesday next week, but I can't promise anything (even though I know I've said that the past couple of chapters).**

 **We finally got to see what Marcus has as his main weapon, which will eventually extend past the Mattock. But seeing as how his choice in weaponry points more to accuracy, I'm assuming you all know which class he'll head towards. But, who knows? A lot can happen folks...And trust me, I've got A LOT planned for this story ;)**

 **Anyway, I can't wait to hear from you guys, and I'll see you next week :)**


	12. Coffee Time

**A/N : Merry Christmas! :D**

* * *

Chapter 12: Coffee Time

I yawn obnoxiously loud in the elevator, rubbing my sleepy eyes as it lifts its way to the crew deck. I couldn't sleep anymore, because apparently, being on the Normandy and trying to help save a galaxy implies that I'm not allowed to get any sleep at all. That goddamn Prothean vision has been taking almost every opportunity it can to fuck with my sleeping pattern. Only tonight (or morning, or whatever time it was. I didn't check exactly), the one time it decides to give me a break, my body decides to believe I'm an insomniac. I have no idea what I'm doing here, if I'm being totally honest. I even went to bed a little earlier to see if maybe I could trick my brain or something (that, and the day really wiped me out), but clearly, that didn't work.

Resting my head on the cold metal, I could feel the light vibrations of the elevator slowly transitioning to the next floor. My eyes were still pretty much closed, begging for me to return to sleep, but I just can't do it. I have this horrible tendency to stay awake, no matter how much sleep I got (bathroom breaks excluded, of course), so despite how much I desperately need some extra REM time, I can't do it… It's okay, though. I just need to get some coffee in me.

There's a slight ding of recognition to inform me that the elevator has reached the desired floor, before the doors open for me. The movement itself peel my eyes awake, but I feel like I have to force my feet to do the walking. So, after a pause of just standing there, I put one foot in front of the other and repeat the cycle until I'm off the platform. One of the night lights were beaming brightly from the ceiling at this spot, shining directly on my eyes and promptly flaring up the headache I didn't realize I was getting. I hiss at the sudden annoyance from it, dabbing my arm to cover my eyes and try to assuage the feeling. I keep it that way for a few seconds before finding the wall with my free hand and guide myself down the path to the mess hall.

Gently I try to put my dabbed arm down, letting it adjust by taking the lights in small dosages. On the third try, it seems to finally work and now I'm just squinting at everything. As I'm taking my next step, two voices capture my attention. It sounds like it's coming from the mess hall, actually, and it's a man and a woman, that's for sure. Being the curious little thing that I am, I hug the wall and try to get as close as I can, to hear what it is they're talking about. I didn't hear any direct conversation though. All I got were a few words and phrases, like "so" and "this one time…" It seemed like the two were having a serious conversation, and I don't want to be the one to intrude on that. That is until the man halfheartedly states that he's going to bed now, and thanks the woman for something. This unfortunately doesn't register fully in my head, so when said man turns the corner for the elevator, he gets a full view of me, hugging the wall… (I actually tried to flatten myself out on the wall as an attempt for camouflage, but that clearly didn't work the way I wanted it too).

I could practically feel him cross his arms and grin widely at me, "Ah, the love affair between a man and a ship." Kaidan says, clearly amused as I peel myself away from the wall, "You should be careful. Joker _will_ fight you for her."

"Well don't go telling _him_ about it. What the Normandy and I have is special." I say while rubbing the wall, half trying to retort with something witty, and the other to save myself from the inevitable question.

He smiles to himself, one eyebrow hooked, "Were you eavesdropping?"

Clearly it didn't work… I stammer for a reply, "N-not necessarily… You see, I was _trying_ to eavesdrop, but I couldn't hear much." When you're in this deep, why lie about it? Eh, maybe I would have tried to, but I was too tired to think of a decent excuse.

"Uh-hmm…" He murmurs. That doesn't sound like he's very convinced. When he opened his mouth again, I thought he was going to scold me about minding my own business, but instead, he just let out a tired sigh, "I'm going to bed, I'll catch you in the morning. You're still up for tomorrow, right?"

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I'm supposed to be working out with Kaidan tomorrow. Both he and Ash thought it would be a good idea to build up some muscle given the fact that, well, I don't have much of it…

"Yeah, yeah, totally." I tell him, "Hey, what time is it now?"

He squints one of his eyes in thought, "2300, ship time." Damn, so everyone went to sleep only about a couple of hours ago. "I'm surprised to see you up, actually, though you did go to sleep before everyone else."

"I was trying to make it so I got a decent night's sleep, but," I wave my arms, "apparently, my body had other plans…"

He laughs to himself, "Sorry to hear that." I just shrug in response, "Well, try not to stay up too late, okay."

I start walking him over to the elevator, "I won't. I'm just gonna grab some coffee to help me go to sleep."

He tilts his head as he enters the lift, "Isn't that just going to wake you up even more?"

"Nah, not really." I said, "For most people, the caffeine boosts their energy levels. But the way my family and I make it, it's more relaxing than anything else, which makes me calmer and usually puts me to sleep."

After hearing my explanation, Kaidan just smirks with a shake of his head as the door closes, "You're weird."

There was no way I could reply with anything since the elevator was already descending, but I stood there, gaping at the lift as if trying to come up with a proper response. There was only one.

" _You're_ weird…"

So, with that failed comeback, I walk back over to the mess hall, where I see a lonely Commander, pouring coffee for herself. There were a couple of data pads laid out on top of the table, which gives me the impression that she might be trying to read something before bed. Hmm… I wonder what Commander Shepard reads for entertainment…?

I walk over to her and she raises her head to look at me, "So you're the one who came up in the elevator?"

I tilt my head, "You knew I was there?" I ask, gesturing to where I had just come from.

Carefully placing the pot back onto its holder, she says, "Not you, _exactly_. But, I mean," She chuckles and waves her hand to the direction of the elevator, "that thing isn't exactly subtle."

"But it doesn't make a lot of noise…"

"The ship is also asleep," she counters.

…

"…Touché."

She chuckles and takes a sip of her coffee. How can she stand to drink that swill…? With a light smack of her lips, she speaks, "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be asleep? I thought you went to bed hours ago."

"Case in point." I said, "That was _hours_ ago. I wanted to try and get some extra sleep in, but, well, it backfired."

"Aaah, I see." She muses with a sly grin, "You sure it wasn't because of the _shame,_ Garrus put you in?"

I narrow my eyes at her with a pug face. When the ground team came back from their mission, Garrus wasted no time talking about the slaughter-fest that was our shooting contest. He hit _all_ of his targets with pin-point accuracy, and I—even if my shots were also accurate—only hit four of them. Which is only like a third of them. Before I knew it, everyone was asking to see the footage from the security cameras in the shooting range (which Joker gleefully decided to make public—the _ass_ ), but I mean, come on! Was anyone expecting the results to be any different?

"Hey, he's got years of experience on me, alright? I think I should get a little credit for how I did." I defended myself, "Besides, he's always got that eye piece on him. For all I know, he could have cheated."

What can I say? I was feeling petty.

"Yeah, and maybe he's an android too, and we just don't know it yet." She states with obvious sarcasm. Interesting thought, though. Wouldn't that be something? "Anyway, you want some coffee?" Before I could respond with a firm 'hell no', she speaks again, "Actually, if I remember correctly; the last time we spoke in the middle of the night, you said you were going to show me what _good_ coffee tastes like."

"Oh, yeah…" I had forgotten about that. Well, why not? I grab her mug from her hands, eyes going wide at my sudden action. They go even wider when I move past her and dump both the mug and coffee pot down the sink.

"What are you doing?" She asks, looking slightly concerned, "You just threw away perfectly good coffee!"

I turn the hose on to wash away the last bits of caffeinated liquid in the basin, "No. I threw away perfectly _bad_ coffee—to make room for my delicious one that I am about to make for you." The glare she was sending was not lost on me. They were practically boring into the side of my head as I placed the pot back onto its machine. The menu on the maker popped up which suddenly made me realize something. I turn to her, rubbing my head with a diffident smile, "Uh… How do you work this thing?"

She rolled her eyes and tapped the menu. She gave me a full demonstration of its functions: what temperature the coffee was to come out, how much sugar you want to put in, filter exchange, coffee grounds flavor, etc. This was definitely an invention I would have expected to see in the future. It basically does all the work for you. After some searching (and to my surprise) I found the same brand my grandmother used to get from the supermarket back home. So, about five minutes later, the coffee has been brewed and I poured a cup for Shepard and me.

"I can't believe they actually have it here…" I murmured to myself.

She heard me say it though. I really gotta work on how I talk to myself… "What, the coffee?"

I nod my head, "It's not a very popular brand and they only sell it at a few places where I'm from."

"The coffee machine is state of the art, carrying about a hundred different kinds of coffee that goes back to the 1900s." She rubs her hand on the top of it with pride, "Took me some time to convince Andersen, but, I think it's the best investment we ever made."

"I'll say," I snort, "Something like that can't be cheap."

"Five thousand credits."

…

My jaw dropped and my eyes went wider then I had intended, and Shepard laughed at my reaction. Five thousand credits is a steep ass price! At least for a coffee maker anyway. Then again, with what it does, I guess it makes a bit of sense. Besides, I should be grateful, the fact that it has the brand my family uses gives me at least something that resembles a bit of home…

"That's the same face Andersen made, when I told him." She giggled. So weird to say that Commander Shepard 'giggled'—even weirder hearing it… Hmm. She hasn't touched her coffee yet.

"Well, for good reason." I say, chuckling to myself as I point to her mug, "You gonna drink or what?"

She raises an eyebrow and squints her other eye as she raises the mug to her lips. She gulps down a sip of it and her eyes close, testing it for herself. As she was doing so, I poured some milk into mine and awaited her response. She opened her eyes and a smile crept in the corner of her lips, "Shit…yours is better."

"Yes!" I silently exclaimed before proceeding to do a little dance.

She stared at me with some bemusement before saying, "That's cute. I'll be over there," she states pointing to the table where the data pads are, "thanks for the coffee."

I just laughed as I followed her over to the table. I took the seat across from her, "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Just looking over my report on yesterday's mission," She takes another sip of her coffee and sighs, taking the data pad in her hands, "probably the most boring part of being in command."

I don't doubt that. I hated writing essays and research papers in college. None of the stuff I got assigned was ever interesting, but writing about a mission doesn't seem so bad. To have to do it so often, though?

"Isn't that something you can do tomorrow?"

She yawns and rubs her eyes tiredly with one hand, "Yeah, but I'd rather have it done and out of the way, you know? I also don't feel like going to sleep just yet."

"Really?" I ask with disbelief, "It sure doesn't look that way."

"She laughs behind another yawn, "Yeah, I think it's your damn coffee. It's good, but it's like it does the opposite of what it's meant to do."

Hmm. Maybe it's just _my_ coffee that makes people tired… Must be the brand, "Do you feel calm, at least?" She nods her head, reluctantly, "Then it's doing its job. It usually clears my head when I drink it, so it's great for having before bed."

"You don't say…" She glares at me with that sarcastic acknowledgement.

I rub the back of my head, "I mean, it's probably not just the coffee. Maybe the exhaustion from the mission is finally hitting you."

She tilts her head, "…Could be."

"Well, uh, hey, you want _me_ to take a look at the report?" I ask. I have nothing else better to do, and hey, it might make me feel sleepier than I do now.

"You're not technically allowed to, since you aren't military…" She points out, "but what the hell, you're part of my crew." She says before flipping the data pad around to me.

I set my mug aside after taking a sip and receive the pad from her. From first glance, this shit looks incredibly detailed. It pretty much explains the Luna mission in explicit detail, even going so far as to translate what EDI (in VI form) was saying with all of the 1's and 0's. The message read: 'HELP'. Pretty sad to think about. The report goes on to explain which course of action they took, as well as how well each team member performed during the mission. I smiled at the mention that Liara did well under combat, but also got me curious to see what Shepard may have written about me…

"Shepard, this is actually pretty good. I wouldn't be too worried about—" I'm interrupted by a light snore from across the table. Putting the data pad down, I see Commander Shepard, arms folder underneath her head, sleeping peacefully. What else could I do _but_ smile? She's so…human. And it's weird to admit it, but she looks adorably cute in this state—like a little kid. And who would have thought, Commander Shepard snored in her sleep?

Well, as peaceful as she looks, I can't just let her sleep here. I walk over to her side and rub her shoulder a bit. It's the same thing I would do whenever my grandmother would want me to carry my younger cousin upstairs to bed. "Shepard, come on. Let's get you to bed." I made sure my voice was as gentle as I could make it, and her eyes flutter open, slowly rising from the table.

She was obviously still asleep, just half conscious. I take the data pads in one hand and guide her with my other one. As we walked across the hall to her room, she rested her head on my shoulder (which was kind of awkward since she was a little taller than me). Upon reaching her room, I click the green panel by the door and it flies open. The room looked rather basic, just like it was in the first game. A desk in one corner with a holographic display, a couch in the second corner, a dresser in the third, and a bed centered on the wall at the back of the room. First, I placed the data pads on the desk, then I laid her down on the bed. She managed to get under the covers by herself, so I thankfully showed myself out.

Once I reached the door, I flicked the light switch off and turned to glance at her, "Goodnight, Shepard."

Before pressing the panel to close the door, I hear a response from her, "Goodnight, John…"

…

Who's John?

* * *

"Come on, just three more."

My arms wiggled under the pressure from the weights as I wheezed through a few more reps. After putting Shepard to bed and finishing my coffee, I managed to get a few more hours of sleep last night, which meant I had more energy for today. But even that wasn't enough for the physical training Kaidan had in mind for us. Now, I go to the gym (albeit, not very often), I'm no stranger to a tough workout. But you know that one day, where you feel like you haven't gone in years and your friend, who always goes, keeps pushing you to go at his pace? That's what was happening here. He was making sure I could lift what I could, but even then it seemed like he was having me do more than I was comfortable with.

I don't know how, but I managed to do the three more he pushed on me and he lifted my bar with his one arm on to the holder. Kaidan was ripped. Seriously, like, no homo, but my god that man's big as fuck. He actually _does_ look the way he does in his romance scenes in the third game (which I feel awkward thinking about now…) and that motivates me just as well as it brings down my confidence, having to judge it with my own physical appearance. But, I digress.

"You keep pushing me like that, I won't be able to spot you." I warn him. Oh my god, I can hear my _heart_ beating!

He just laughs, "I thought you wanted to get stronger?" I glare weakly at him, "Sorry, but we'll be at Feros soon and who knows what we'll be facing there. Could be a whole Geth army we gotta fight through—so you need to be ready."

Oh, right. This morning, Shepard got the Intel from the Council so she had Joker plot a course to Feros. In a way, I'm kind of glad we won't be going to Noveria first. Not just for not wanting to deal with an 'extinct' Alien race trying to kill me (as if plant husks are any better), but also for Liara's sake. She would have to wind up watching her mom die, and no one needs to experience that. I know I wouldn't. Speaking of Liara, since we're going to Feros soon, she wanted to train up her skills in the range again. Garrus was busy with something; so I asked Ash to go watch and help her if need be. I didn't think she'd be too thrilled about it, but she seemed okay with it. I was glad to see a slight change in her xenophobic attitude, but I was still worried.

I glanced over to the door of the shooting range, "How do you think they're doing?"

"I'm sure they're fine. Ash knows what she's doing, and Liara tends to pick things up pretty quickly." He crosses his arms, "You should have seen her yesterday on the Luna mission," he says, "I thought she was going to be scared out of her mind, but she definitely proved me wrong. She crushed a turret droid with just her biotics, disassembled it into a few pieces, and then used that destroy three other ones. Even Wrex was impressed."

Damn, that actually sounds bad ass! I wish I was there to see it, "Well, Asari tend to be stronger in biotics than most other species." Jack being the one exception I can think of.

"Yeah, but still, she's something else…"

"Hey, easy there, Elvis. Keep your eyes on one girl at a time." I don't know why I felt the need to say that…

He frowns at me, "What do you mean, one girl?"

"You know…" Damn, I feel like it's taboo to insinuate something I already know is going to happen, "Shepard…?"

"…Yeah?"

"And you're…eyeing up Liara…" Does he not see where I'm going with this?

"But Liara's an Asari, she's not technically female." He states with a shit-eating grin.

I narrow my eyes at him, "But the Asari are considered an all-female race you smug little shit."

"Relax, Marcus! I'm only messing with ya." He cackles out, "My interest in Liara is more…Art appreciation, than anything."

"And with Shepard?" I ponder out loud.

He presses his lips into a firm line before saying, "No. Regardless, I can't exactly do anything about it."

"Why not?" I smirk to him, trying my best to appear astute, "She seems into you."

He glances at me with a glimmer in his eyes, before sighing with a shake of his head, "It's against regulations. Fraternization and all."

"So what? People in the military get together all the time," I tell him, "Besides, she's your Commander, and last I checked, Shepard doesn't seem like the spiteful type, nor does she have a stick up her ass about regulations all the time." I pat my shoulder, "My _presence_ here is the perfect example of that. I'm not saying you _have_ to go for her, but I mean, what does it hurt to try?"

His lips stay in the same firm line for a few seconds before he nods, "I'll think about it."

Alright, at least I did something, I guess. Never thought I'd be playing match-maker… A laugh that he seemed to be holding suddenly managed to escape him, "What's so funny?" I asked him.

"No, it's just, I was think about this talk," He begins, "It reminds me of the same ones my brother and I used to have."

Woah! Hold the phone! "You have a brother?"

"Had." He iterates with chagrin, "He died a few years back."

Well, this is new… "I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's alright," He says, "I don't like talking about it, but I am over it. Truthfully, I feel sorrier for my niece."

My eyes widen, "He had kids?"

"Yeah, a daughter. She's only a couple of years younger than you." He explains, "She lives in Canada, with my parents, but she doesn't have that Father figure anymore, you know? I mean, I try to be, but I can't be in two places at once."

"That's rough." I said. I wanted to ask about her mom, but it really wasn't my place, "Why don't you try setting a meet-up day? Like hanging out on the Citadel or something."

"Actually, that was the idea." He says, smiling, "The last time we were on the Citadel was the first time I ever went, so I never really considered it an option before. But after Shepard became a Spectre and we were on board, I booked her a ticket for passage to meet me there the next time we get shore leave."

So that's what he was doing… Hmm. "Good for you, dude. I'm sure she'll be delighted to spend time with you, especially if it's on the Citadel." I decided to change the subject, "So you and your brother would talk about that sort of stuff often?"

His grin grows large, "Yeah, we were pretty close, but he was two years older than me. When he was in High school and I was still in middle, he would go on about his social life, his love affairs, the opportunities he got; and in College it was the same thing. He'd give me advice on how to approach a Job interview, how to talk to women." He chuckles to himself, "Carth was quite the character and a Clichéd Casanova, by far."

…

I mentally slap myself out of my stupor. I may have just heard that wrong, "I'm sorry, what his name?"

"Carth."

…

"No fucking way." I blurt out with a slight grin.

He stares at me, puzzled, "What?"

Okay, I didn't mean for that to be said out loud…

"Uh…"

 _"Attention. All ground team Crew members, we'll be arriving to Feros in two hours. Please report to the conference room for a debriefing."_

Shepard's message died on the intercom and I took that as my 'saved by the bell' moment (quite literally). The door for the gun range whooshed open and I beckoned Kaidan to follow me as I joined our female companions, "Hey guys." I greeted them, walking next to Liara. The two of them greeted back to me and then to Kaidan, as we all stepped into the elevator.

I think he's going to drop the thought for now, so I can worry about an excuse later. I've gotta stop vocalizing my thoughts so goddamn much, but seriously? He has a brother, and his name just _happens_ to be _Carth_? That is just too ironic… But you know what's funny? Thinking of an excuse should be the least of my worries, because it has literally just dawned on me.

Shit… We're about to start Feros.

* * *

 **A/N : I'm Sorry! I'm so sorry for taking so long to post this. I was very close to postponing it till next year, but I didn't want to leave you all hanging for a month without an update. So this is just to tell you guys, thank you, for being so patient with me this month (it's been very busy for me, as I'm sure it has been with you guys). Unfortunately, don't expect an update next week as I am still short on time (I actually finished this at 3:37 in the morning…) and I still have another story to work on alongside this one. So, bear with me! If anything, I'll probably have to switch to a bi-weekly update schedule.**

 **Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH! WE HAVE PASSED 10,000 VIEWS FOR THIS STORY! It's quite the milestone for me, and I can't wait to see how far this goes with the New Year coming. I have a lot planned for this story that it might be longer than any ME1 SI, but hopefully you guys will enjoy the ride :)**

 **Anyway, Merry Christmas to you. If you don't believe in Christmas or just don't celebrate it, then I hope you have a fun weekend, doing whatever it is you do :)**

 **Happy Holidays, everyone! See you next year!**


	13. Welcome to Feros

**A/N : Happy New Year, everyone! :D  
**

* * *

Chapter 13: Welcome to Feros

You know, this place is very poorly translated during its mission in the game. Not in terms of art style, but the feeling of the atmosphere itself. The debilitating gray walls that make up the tower we docked at match the game's design on an almost uncanny level (which is only surprising to me because of how different Therum felt). But the level of destruction and planetary conditions here are just _horrifying_. The air was covered in a haze of dust—small enough for us to see through it, but also enough for me to have a coughing fit and my eyes to water as soon as we stepped off the ship. Not only that, but it's also pretty chilly here as well, some like 50 degrees or so. It may not seem like much, but I'm Floridian; I'm just not used to that kind of temperature.

Either way, it's a good thing Ash convinced me to wear a jacket. Here I was thinking it would be hot here on Feros, since I always saw Noveria as the polar opposite (Ha! Polar!...Bad joke?). Though, that's not the reason she insisted I wore one. She figured if I still wasn't going to be out in armor, I should wear an extra layer of clothes underneath the shield harness. So, on top of the black jumpsuit I've got on, I'm also wearing a dark navy blue jacket with some rough padding on it. And, being a jacket built in the future, it came with some pretty cool doohickeys. Like titanium based fibers, strong enough to protect me from any minor physical injuries (no defense against guns, but, hey, that's what the shields are for) and it also comes with tech that resembles something similar to seat warmers. Doesn't save me in a combat situation, but at least I'll be warm and cozy!

A balled fist taps my arm lightly, "Weapons ready, bud." Kaidan says.

"Right." I reach my right arm over my shoulder and grab the Mattock off of the one magnetic holster the harness has. Once it's in both hands, I clicked the safety off and made sure to keep my finger away from the trigger. I've gotten better at carrying it, but my arms still ache after holding it for long periods of time. It's worth it though; kind of reminds me of practicing drill movements in JROTC. After awhile, I should get used to the weight of the thing.

I fall in with the rest of the team as we make our way through the port. The walkway was somewhat narrow, but we were doing a good job of keeping ourselves well spaced, I think. Oh, and another thing, instead of bringing only two people on missions, Shepard takes _everyone_. I thought Therum was a special occasion, what with having to create a distraction for the rest of the team to get in and save Liara, but nope. Turns out, we all come along. Which, now that I think about it, makes a lot of sense. In the games, the SR1 crew members always look back and are all like: "yeah, just like old times." But _anyone_ could go through the entire game only choosing the same two people over and over again.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. I was walking next to Ashley and we were behind Shepard and Kaidan, who were taking the lead. Ash says my name, so I turn my head to her, "What's up?" I ask.

She holsters her own assault rifle and reaches her hand out to me, "Can I see your Mattock for a sec?"

"At least take me on a date first." I quipped, smirking as I handed her my rifle.

"Not even in your dreams," she replied, with a roll of her eyes. She swipes her omni-tool against the gun and a little blue icon appears just before the barrel starts, "Here, now it fires _disruptor_ ammo. Once we run into the Geth, these bullets will cut right through them, and their shields too."

Alright! Disruptor ammo, baby! These will definitely prove to be useful, "Thanks," I say, taking the weapon back, "you think we'll be running into them soon?"

"I don't know," she hushed, "but I'm not taking any chances..." Her eyes showed a little something I wasn't used to seeing on her, before she blinked it away, and her resolve bolstered.

As we continued on, I noticed a figure standing up ahead of us, leaning against one of the walls along the edge of the walkway. I think that's the guy who informs us about Fai Dan, isn't it? He's gonna get fucked up by a rocket, I think? Once we got a little closer, he bounces himself off the wall and approaches Shepard.

"We saw your ship land," He deadpans, "Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately."

His voice sounds so... _weird_. Has the Thorian already taken control of the colonists, yet? I was never made clear of that in the game...

"Who's Fai Dan?" Shepard asks.

"He is our leader," he explains, "he needs your help to prepare for the Geth. We believe they're making another push." He points a thumb over his shoulder, "Please. Up the stairs, past the freighter."

Wait...isn't this when—?

"Enemy contacts, find some cover!" Garrus announces before the crack of a sniper bullet echoes in the docking bay. All of us scramble for a piece of cover, including Fai Dan's guy. I guess the one Garrus killed was the same one that shoots the rocket at him. Way to save a life there, bud! A shot bounces off my shield, suddenly reminding me I'm in a firefight. There wasn't much to really hide behind, so it was like two people behind each piece of cover. I couldn't see where everyone else was, but Ash and I were behind an orange and black crate.

I peeked my head outside the bubble of protection to get a view of what was happening. Shepard and Kaidan were doing something similar to Ash and I, both taking turns on throwing attacks. Garrus traded his sniper for his assault rifle, training his fire on a Geth unit I couldn't see. Tali, who was next to him flashed her omni-tool at their direction (again, I couldn't see which unit) and retreated back to cover. Liara fired a certain amount of rounds before glowing blue and sending a singularity their way.

"We need to get out of this position, it's too narrow!" Shepard calls out.

"I'm on it." Wrex replies, gravelly. I turn to face him just as he himself glows blue and charges towards the enemy. The aura surrounding him seems to diminish slowly as he reaches them, but by then, he channels it into what I think looks like a warp and sends it into Liara's singularity. Once the two energies make contact, an explosion occurs, effectively deactivating the Geth units at the end of the walkway.

Oh my god, that was so goddamn fucking beautiful!

With them gone, it gives us a chance to move up. Shepard's voice beeps into our radio, "Garrus, Chief, stay here and give us sniper support. The rest of you, with me!" My last look at Ash was her taking out her sniper rifle, and Garrus did the same.

I bound over to the new cover space and crouch next to Liara. She was in the light gray alliance armor, like Kaidan was wearing, only a more smaller framed version. I'm surprised no one's given me crap about that yet, how she can wear the armor and I can't. Eh, their minds are probably focused on more important things...Like this firefight I keep trailing away from.

I look over the little ridge we were using for cover, spotting five geth units left. One put up a barrier while the other four worked it out among themselves. Wrex stayed in cover this time, firing back with his assault rifle as each side traded shots. A sniper bullet whipped through the air, deactivating one and pushing another out of hiding. I took this as my opportunity and raised my rifle at it. My finger squeezed the trigger instinctively and hit the AI in the chest, it's shield flickering off. I fired two more shots before it went down with a metallic cry.

From the corner of my eye, I spot Shepard and Tali moving up, cover to cover, with shotguns in hand. Liara stands up out of hiding and throws an arm upwards with one swift motion. The sound the attack had made gave me an idea of what it was, but it was confirmed as one of the rocket troopers get biotically pulled out of cover. A blast of electricity strikes at it in the air, resulting in its flashlight head to spark off. I'm not sure our two snipers saw that though, so they over-killed it with two of their own shots. I almost felt sorry for the damn thing.

Tali and Shepard take a mirrored covered position just before the planted barrier. The Commander looks back at Wrex and he responds by firing all of his bullets into the barrier, eventually breaking it but overheating his weapon. Once it was down, both women wasted no time blasting the two remaining units away. One sputtered to death immediately, while the other fell on the floor, one leg missing. It too met it's end, however, as Shepard concentrated biotic energy to her foot and heavily curb stomped it.

"Area secure, Commander." Tali mentions.

"Damn right it's cleared, baby!" I exclaimed, as we all regrouped on Shepard's position, "We took on that squadron of Geth and made them our bitches, bruh!"

"Bruh?" Liara asks with big eyes, "Is that a word, or did my translator glitch?"

"Don't worry about it, Liara," Kaidan says, just before he swipes his hand against the back of my neck, "He's just being an idiot."

I glared daggers to the back of his head as I rubbed my 'missing' neck. I told Kaidan about necking just after our mission debrief, so now we have sort of a thing going on with that. Not sure he understands the rules, though, or the concept of a bad joke...Well, I guess it _was_ pretty cringe. Eh, I'll give it to him. Liara and I followed Kaidan until we reached the Commander. Ashley and Garrus fell in behind us, along with Fai Dan's man.

Shepard spoke first, "Are you hurt?" She asked, one hand outstretched.

He rubs his hands together, nervously, "Just a little shook up. But, I'd be a lot worse if it weren't for your man, here." He looks to Garrus, "Never thought I'd be thanking a Turian for saving my life, but..." He shakes his head before slightly bowing, "...Thank you."

"Sure," Garrus nods.

The man looks down at the demolished Geth forces, "You guys took them down like it was no problem at all! If anyone's going to make a difference here, it's you."

I smile unconsciously at that. It just feels good to be categorized with them...

"How long ago did the attacks start?" Shepard inquired to the man.

"Just a few days ago. Everything was normal, same mundane, dusty shit as always." He explains, "Then our scanners started going all out of whack and our communications tower soon went with it."

"Got any idea why they're here?"

He shakes his head, "Not in the slightest. I mean, we're just a small bunch of scientists and construction workers, for god's sake!"

"They been attacking like this often?" Ashley asks, gesturing to the dead geth. He nods his head, "You guys don't have a defense force?"

"Yeah, well...sort of. It's ExoGeni security—but they've got nothin' on you guys." He turns to Shepard, "Look, I just build stuff mam. I don't know all the details, but, Fai Dan does. He knows about everything going on. Once we get back to Zhu's Hope, he can tell you all you need to know."

"Guess that's where we're going then," She signals all of us, "Let's move out."

With that, we all seem to fall back into the same formation we had before the fight started, though this time, I was towards the back, and we were all being much more cautious with our surroundings. We only got about five minutes into the hallway before a delicate finger tapped my shoulder. When I turned to it, I saw that it was Liara, using one hand to cover her words as she got closer to me.

Her voice was just above a whisper, "What does: 'bruh' mean?"

* * *

"Here we are, Commander. ...Zhu's Hope."

Wow...this...this looks nothing like it does in the game. The spots are all the same, but the level of tragedy is...overwhelming...

Metal barriers faced the entrance, manned by poor excuses for guards as they fought over securing an area that may or may not have Geth in it. Both clearly terrified of pursuing the task. Fallen debris blanket the corners of the courtyard, with some small fires still lingering from what was most likely a recent attack. There was a man on the floor clinging to his friend, both of them with tears running down their ashy cheeks. I don't think the one on the floor can move, especially with his leg twisted in such a way...It's like everything below his knee cap was...I shudder at the sight of it. By the water system, a woman was frustratingly beating on it, in a desperate attempt to get it working again.

We followed Fai Dan's guy (who goes by the name David) up to the building in the center, where I spotted a Salarian clutching his head in tears, mumbling something to himself. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Salarian cry before. What I saw next, however, was on a whole 'nother scale. I caught something white just before following my teammates into the building, so I went to check it out instead. I edged around the building until I turned the corner, which is when I saw it. Rows, upon rows, upon rows, of bodies covered in sheets, along with a foul stench that polluted the air. My chest tightened as I became very aware of my own breathing.

I had no idea the actual damage the Geth attack caused here was so severe...It's like Eden Prime, all over again. So many people dead, for nothing. Some of the bodies had a few colonists surrounding them, mourning the deceased. One in particular had a little girl, bawling her eyes out as another woman (presumably her mother) tried to console her. Is this what being in a warzone feels like? God...

I felt a hand gently grip my shoulder, "Come on," Ash whispered in a lull tone, "We shouldn't fall behind."

She tried to pull me away, but my feet felt cemented into the ground, "Do you see this?"

She gives it a hard look before swallowing thickly, "Yeah...It's horrible."

" _Horrible_? This is—" The words caught in my throat, "I don't even know what to call this..."

She exhales deeply through her nostrils, before grabbing my shoulders with both hands so I faced her directly, "Listen to me. I know it's hard to see, but things like this happen almost everyday in the galaxy. Terrible things." She gazes at the bodies and then back at me, "There'll be time to mourn them later. But right now, we can make things right for the ones that are still alive. So I need you to stay focused, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Taking one final look at the bodies, I press my lips into a firm line and nod to her. She smiles somberly and presses her hand against my back, leading me towards the direction of the door. Once we were inside, all I could think about was this sick feeling that invaded the pit of my stomach. As we reached the end of the hall, I ducked my head under an arm after I placed it on the wall. Slowly, I began to breathe in and out until the feeling eventually faded, especially when Ash started rubbing my back. The familiar gesture reminded me of how my mom did it whenever I got a stomach virus.

After I thanked Ash, the two of us stepped outside, and we regrouped with the others. Liara seemed to be the only one who noted our absence (the only one who acknowledged it anyway) and she asked if I was okay, to which I replied, saying I was fine. I wasn't, but Ash was right, there'd be time to talk about it later. At the moment, Shepard I think is in mid-conversation with Fai Dan, who looks hella, old by the way. Might be all the stress getting to him, though. A whole colony to look after and yet you're powerless to protect them? I sure wouldn't want that job...

The Tan woman in the light armor next to Fai Dan just said something to Shepard. I didn't hear what she said, but I distinctly remember her saying it in a bitchy manner, which explains why Fai Dan just scolded her right after.

"Sorry Commander. Everyone's on edge since—" He was cut off by the sound of the clicking geth language.

"Watch out!" Arcelia (the tan woman) exclaimed. But she didn't have to tell any of us.

We all each had our weapons out and immediately took for cover. Mine was a large piece of stone that stuck out the middle of the ground, and Liara placed herself in the spot next to me. I could see Shepard and Garrus on a similar stone wall across the 'fatal funnel', Garrus shooting back with his Vindicator. Suddenly, Shepard started to glow and the air around became slightly distorted as she jumped out of cover, clipped something off her belt, and threw a disc at the two geth blocking the entry way. There was a loud boom and I felt the ground rumble softly, before Shepard said, "Let's push in!"

She took the lead, her pistol pointed in front of her as we all followed her into what I think is an apartment complex. Inside, the halls were narrow, so we made sure to keep our distance from one another. Though, that also meant that only a few of us could push through at a time. I was at the back of the formation, but I could see the second floor's entrance from here, so I trained my Mattock on it and waited for either an enemy or Shepard to pass my line of sight. Once she did, I quickly rejoined the rest of the team.

Upstairs you could hear the colonists, screaming and crying for help. "Don't let me die!" one of them said, just before a rocket blew up near his face and...well, I turned my head away after that. Wrex charged into the second level and tackled a shock trooper, throwing off the one that was next to it before Kaidan biotically threw it against the wall. It didn't get up after that. Wrex still had the other one in his hand until he dropped it on the floor and finished it off with a shotgun blast to the face.

We all entered the second floor after that, skimming past another entrance to somewhere as well as the elevator that takes you up to the sky-way. All we had to do was follow the clicks, and eventually we were outside again. This area was much bigger, with an elongated walkway connecting to a slope that then mimics it. Broken chunks missing off the walls and what was undoubtedly the ceiling, provided us with some cover for the battle. The roof was missing, instead the dark sky was lidded by a huge Geth ship. Green beams of light shot out of it, producing a few Geth shock troopers to continue fighting us on the ground.

Jesus, it's like they don't ever stop!

We all jumped for a good sheltered position. I, along with Tali, Garrus, and Liara, sprinted up the slope to the higher ground. I felt a few bullets impact my shields just before my back made contact with the chest high obstacle. My other three companions settle down next to me before Garrus' voice enters my ear.

"Shepard, we'll get rid of the ones up here!" His flanging voice gave it a bit of significance to go along with it.

"We'll take the ones down here, then!" She yelled back while under fire.

The ex-detective turned to me, "Can you and Tali get up close?"

I was absolutely dumbfounded, " _Me_? W-why don't _you_ get closer?"

He attaches his assault rifle to his back before taking out his sniper, "Because then while you two are moving up, Liara and I can provide long range support: with her biotics and my sniper. We'll corner them to the point where they won't know who to fire on."

I know it's a plan that would work—hell, we've been doing it this whole time—but I still wasn't too eager to be the one in the front. Even if it does make me look like a coward... "B-but I have a Mattock, I can shoot from a fair distance."

His brow plates shift as he narrows his eyes at me, "Are you _absolutely_ sure you won't miss?" I opened my mouth to speak, but self-doubt eventually took over, "Next time, then." He says in a decisive tone. He looks at both me and Tali, "When I give the signal, move up."

We both nod our heads and I felt Liara place a hand on my arm, "Do not worry, I will protect you."

Those words were like a morning slap in the face after waking up hungover on New Years day. She's gonna protect _me_? I mean, I know she's a bad ass and only gets even more so down the road, but...She joined after I did, so it should be _me_ protecting _her_ , not the other way around. Taking a deep breath, I suddenly succumb to equanimity and grip the handle on my rifle firmly. I charged into a squad of geth troopers back on Therum, and that was in _open space_. This will be _much_ easier than _that_.

"Go!"

Just like that, Tali and I jumped over the obstacle and sprinted towards another piece of debris. I instantly felt bullets bounce off my shields but they lessened slightly after a sniper shot boomed through the air. I heard the AI shriek, but didn't spot when it hit the ground. My heart was pounding in my ears by the time I got to the fallen rock. Tali was just a little behind, but she was across the way from me, behind another piece of broken rooftop. A Geth shock trooper was moving up out of her line of sight to attack her from a blind spot, but it didn't see _me_. I fired two quick shots into it, breaking through its shield before triggering three more times, causing it to sputter and fall to the ground.

I felt a change in the space behind me along with a low pitch squeak. At least I think it was a squeak or...something. Regardless, I turn around to see a Geth trooper locked in place by a stasis. I automatically looked to Liara who was still glowing blue, but before I could attack the trooper, a bunch of sparks fly out of it, letting out a painful metallic cry before deactivating on the floor. I nodded to Liara and then gave a thumbs up to Tali. That was one hell of an overload for it to go down with one hit.

There was only one left. Now if I can just take a quick peek at what its got—it suddenly became headless—I can go back into cover... The Geth ship above us finally seems to take a hint and emits a high-pitched whistle as it flies away, making us victorious in battle.

I exhaled deeply, feeling my shoulders drop and my body loosen up. I didn't know I tensed up in the first place, but then, why wouldn't I have? Tali, Liara, Garrus, and I walk down the slope onto lower ground, where Shepard and the others were. As we approached them I offer a fist to Wrex, but he just stares at it pointedly.

"It's a fist bump," I told him.

His glare hardens at me, "I know what it is."

"And you're just gonna leave me hangin' here?" His cold stare was unfaltering, "Ooookay, then..." I feel like I should offer a fist bump to the others, but now I just feel awkward doing it. Dammit, Wrex, you killed my vibe...

Once we we're all together, we unintentionally formed a little circle and Kaidan spoke, "I doubt that'll be the last of them, but it should keep the colony safe for now."

"Not permanently, but hopefully it'll buy us enough time to find a more definite solution." Ash says.

"And find out why they are here in the first place." Liara added.

"We should start heading back, Commander," Garrus chimes in, "The colony's leader would probably like an update."

The first human Spectre nods her head, "Let's go speak to Fai Dan."

* * *

 **A/N** **:** **It feels oh so good to be back :D I know there was a lot of action and less dialogue in this chapter, but I figured after four chapters of just dialogue, the story was due an action heavy chapter, you know? Lemme know what you thought of it, please!**

 **The Feros mission will last about three or four chapters, maybe five depending on how tight I am on time, but we'll see how it goes. But, speaking of time: I have a New Years resolution! To finish this story by the end of the year! So, from now on, I'll be posting on a 10-14 day schedule. Hopefully, that's alright with you guys? And if it's not done by September or something, I'll have to put my other story on hold so I can finish it. Lord knows I shouldn't have taken that hiatus a year ago... Oh well, you reap what you sow, right?**

 **Anyway, until next time, see ya! :)**


	14. Clean up Duty

Chapter 14: Clean up Duty

The tower we cleared out of Geth was now filled with an overwhelming amount of whispers from the colonists. They were moving their dead out of the building, so they could be added with the rest of the deceased in the courtyard. Shepard was speaking to Fai Dan along with some of the ground team, the others went on to do god-knows-what. I, however, found myself watching the colonists in the courtyard. I already know what happens in the mission. All the details regarding the ExoGeni headquarters, where the Geth ship has perched itself upon was _not_ lost on me. _This_ was more...not enticing...but, eye-opening.

I wasn't the only one watching, though. Liara was here too, gazing at the bodies like I was before, until Ash dragged me away. I step over and stand in place next to her, noting the absent expression displayed on her face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask.

"Sorry?"

"It's a human expression. A very _old_ one, but..." I shook my head and tried my best to speak in a soft tone, "You okay?"

Her lost blue eyes met mine, "I am, fine." She said, rather unconvincing.

"Really?"

"...You do not need to worry about me."

"...Hell, I wish _I_ was fine." I admitted loudly, "But, then again, you're a lot stronger than _me_."

She raised an eyebrow, "Do you mean...because I can use biotics?"

I tilt my head, chuckling lightly "Well, that's probably the most obvious reason..."

"I am hardly skilled on the battlefield," She says, "I believe I am more adequately categorized as a support role, providing long ranged attacks and distractions to throw the enemies off for the good of the team. Garrus, Tali, and Chief Williams, proved that biotics are not necessarily a required skill in order to be proficient in combat. However...they are not—"

 _"Please! I have to go back and get it. It'll make him feel better, I promise!"_ A small boy sobbed, begging.

He was a small little dude, can't be more than seven or eight years old, with black hair, wearing a tattered yellow striped collared shirt and what looked like khaki shorts. He was wailing his two hands on a security guard who wouldn't let him pass up the stairs.

 _"He works for you! Let me through! I can help him! I just need to get back home. Let me through!"_ The boy pleaded, sniveling.

The guard patted his back, " _You can't, I'm sorry. It's too dangerous for you to go out there."_

Liara and I continued to watch the scene play out, until eventually, the boy walked off out of sight. After that, we stood in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to say, until Shepard called us over to regroup with the rest of the team. Everyone seemingly arrived at the same time.

"According to Fai Dan, the Geth's main base of operations is the ExoGeni headquarters located across the sky-way." Shepard informs us.

"Does he know why they're here?" Tali asked, "Garrus and I spoke to some of the colonists, but most of them are still in shock."

Garrus puts his two cents in, "One of them, a couple, was saying some odd things...Could be from the trauma, but it was still strange."

I wonder if he's talking about the old couple back in the infirmary building. That's what I've chosen to calling it anyway, since I'm not sure what it is exactly. But I do remember in the games, some old person, talking as if they were trying to warn us about the Thorian's mind control. Can't remember if it was a man or a woman, though...

"Well, I'm afraid Fai Dan doesn't know either. Whatever they're here for, I'm sure we'll find out once we reach their HQ." She gestures behind her with a pointed thumb, "They have a vehicle waiting for us in the garage. Kaidan, Wrex, Tali, we'll be heading out to the tower soon, so be ready to move."

Wait...We're splitting up? I didn't see _this_ coming. I was kind of looking forward to rediscovering how corrupt ExoGeni was, and maybe seeing Shepard have a shoot out with Jeong: the selfish, self-centered, cliche'd, evil scientist. Was he even a scientist? Maybe he was just a greedy employee...Shit, this isn't good. I'm forgetting things! Little things, mind you, but what if goes beyond that?

"And where do you want _us_ , Commander?" Ashley asks, voicing my original thought.

"Clean up duty. Help the Colonists get back on their feet," Our red-headed CO explained, "Fai Dan mentioned that there are still some Geth hiding inside the tunnels, that's why they colony keeps getting hit. I'm told they have other problems as well..."

"They're running out of food and water," Garrus shares.

"And they need a new power cell for the generators too," Tali added. Damn, those two really did some talking, huh?

"Exactly." Shepard says, "While the four of us go and infiltrate the tower, I'm counting on the rest of you to make sure the colonists are safe."

Ash nods her head, "Consider it done, Commander."

"I know you won't let me down," She addresses us with a smile, "Kaidan, Wrex, Tali; let's get going."

"Good luck, guys! Be careful!" I shouted to them as they walked back into the tower. Tali stared back at me with glowing eyes, Kaidan gave me a thumbs up, Shepard waved a two-fingered peace sign, and Wrex completely ignored me. With them gone, I turned to my remaining squadmates, "So, what do we do first?"

"Securing the tunnels from any remaining Geth I believe should be our first priority," Liara answers.

"My thoughts exactly," The Gunnery Chief agrees, "Last thing we want is for them get assaulted while we're out fixing their problems."

Garrus nods and brings out his omni-tool, "Some of the colonists Tali and I spoke to gave us the locations on where we can find solutions to their maintenance issues. I'll send them to your omni-tools." Sure enough, I felt a little blip go off on my arm, "As far as I can tell from the map," The layout of the Colony projects itself out of his tool, allowing the rest of us to see for ourselves, "Save for these two, they all seem to be spread out from one another.

He wasn't kidding. The water valves that had to be turned on were located much deeper in the tunnels, but the battery and the Varren we're gonna have to kill were in relatively the same spot. There was big mark in the near center, tagged with a red strobe light, which I'm pretty sure is where the Geth probing beacon is.

"We'll work it out," Ash says, "We take care of our sweep for the last of the Geth first, and then we worry about the other issues." She puts a hand on her hip, "Make sure all you're weapons and utilities are in working order and that you're restocked on medi-gel," Isn't medi-gel and utilities the same thing? ...No, maybe she's talking about grenades, "We move out in five." Ash takes out her rifle and sits in the corner on top of some rubble, cleaning the gun with a white cloth she procured from a compartment in her armor.

"Who made _her_ in charge?" He demanded, with a gesture of his hand, and a tone one would only think was sarcastic.

Liara put a hand under her chin, a reflective sparkle in her eyes, "I believe Shepard temporarily passed on command to Miss Williams, for the duration that she will not be with us."

"He was being sarcastic, Liara," I chuckled. Garrus smiled as well, both brow plates raised with amusement.

"Oh...Yes, I...I knew that." She mumbled with purple blush taking her cheeks.

"Actually, I'm not sure any of us are in charge here. I think Shepard just expected us to work together as a team," I glanced over at Ashley, "Then Ash took some initiative and assumed command."

Garrus laughed, flangingly, "Well, she seems to know what she's doing, so why not?" He took out his sniper and began picking at it with a talon.

I turned back to Liara, who was still blushing a little. She's one hundred and six years old, but I can actually see now why older Asari would see her as nothing more than a child. They're wrong, of course, but I can see it. I bump her shoulder lightly with a balled fist, "We should get ready too."

She replies, agreeing, "Yes, of course."

* * *

"Anyone else having a hard time seeing shit?" I asked over the semi-strong winds that cut through the air around us. My three comrades each give their own form of acknowledgement as we pressed on through the tunnels. There was a storm passing through the area, and because parts of the rooftop were collapsed, it kicked up a shit load of hazy dust into the main hall. It wasn't too bad at first, like batting two erasers together to get rid of the chalk, but now seeing past ten feet in front of us has become a strenuous task.

Ash glanced down at the map on her omni-tool, one eye shut away from the dust, while the other struggled to maintain focus. Good thing I'm wearing glasses right now, 'cause that would be a real bitch. Hard enough having to avoid breathing in this shit. She's gonna need to put on her helmet soon, they all do. That or this storm's gotta go away, but something tells me it's not gonna fade as quick as it began.

For a moment, the force of the wind came to a halt, prompting me to believe that perhaps I was wrong for being so fatalistic. But that quickly flushed out of my mind when I realized we were just behind a wide metal crevice, serving as our temporary safe haven from the storm.

"My radar's being distorted," Garrus called out. Mine was too, as were Liara's and Ashley's I'm guessing.

"So is the map," Our Gunnery Chief mentioned, "Last sign of the signal I got was just a little ways down and across the bridge. This dust isn't getting any easier to navigate through, so now would be a good time to put our masks on." She clips something off of her armor, a breather looking thing about the size of my palm and clicks the blue button protruding at the top. In one swift motion, the breather extended into a fully formed helmet, identically designed to the ones from the game. So _that's_ how they hid their helmets! One of the many things I had always wondered about in the games...Those suits have more pockets than I thought!

Liara giggled watching me as I marveled at the simplicity of it. Ash assisted her in putting on her helmet and Garrus already donned his own while I wasn't looking. Sneaky bastard, I wanted to see if Turians brought their's out any differently. As they each finished suiting up, I shrugged noticing that I don't have a helmet of my own (despite trying to poke different spots on my jacket to see if anything pops out). My teacher seems to have already made note of it though, since the next thing she does is hand me a clean (as far as I can tell) black rag.

"Just use this to cover your mouth and nose. The glasses already take care of your eyes." She must have read my mind!

I gratefully took it from her hand and wrapped it around my face, the same way my cousins and I used to do it when we pretended to be cowboy's in my backyard. The rag had a funny smell to it, and for a second, I wondered if this was the same one she used to clean her rifles with; the thought doesn't stay for long though, as we rounded the metal obstacle and continued forth.

"Why would anyone want to start a colony, here?" I thought loudly, "Dust storms, no natural water source, buildings in almost complete ruin; I would have taken the first ship outta here."

"The planet can only sustain a certain amount of colonists," Ashley started, "Apparently, ExoGeni insisted on the colonization in the first place, hoping that they could find some technology that the Protheans might have left behind. Most of the ruins were picked clean by pirates and looters though."

"Jesus, it's like anything Prothean related stands as a bad omen for getting you into trouble. Why do people even bother with it, anymore?" Interestingly enough, this was my honest opinion.

"In case one of them is holding a message chronicling the end of their civilization," Garrus deadpans, "Tsk, but what are the chances of finding something like that?"

I snickered to myself as Liara spoke, "I believe you are overreacting. Not every planet relating to the Protheans are this...eventful."

"Uh-hmm," I mumbled, "Eden Prime, Feros; tell me Liara: what happened at the last Prothean dig site you encountered?"

"...Point taken."

"Man, this storm came out of nowhere." Ashley says, changing topics.

Garrus chimes in, "You think this is bad, imagine how Shepard and the others are doing outside in the open."

Hmm, Garrus brings up a good point, "They are in an air-conditioned, insulated vehicle; it does not seem so dreadful to me."

As does, Liara...However, "I'm with Garrus on that one. I think _they_ drew the short straw. Yeah, they're in a vehicle, but they're also battling heavy geth forces in the middle of all _this_." I continued, "Meanwhile, all we've had to deal with so far is a little dust in our eye—"

A high pitched cry of whirling guns screeched in the air and I suddenly found my shields cut to zero, the impact throwing me off the ground and my back hit the floor with a thud that boomed in my head. Everything was muffled for a few seconds, the red icon of my shields blinking furiously, pleading me to get into cover. Bullets pierced the thin haze above me has my teammates returned fire as best they could. What are the chances that I would be the one to get hit by surprise?

A distant echo of a voice called my name, just barely making its presence noted. The second attempt sounded coarse, mixed with the rapid bursting of a rifle speaking its mind. By the time my name was spoken again, it was clear and thick with urgency. Eyes blinking a mile a minute, my senses finally came back to me, and I turned my head to the clear voice. The brunette shouted at me to get behind something, the hint of concern I thought I had heard was nonexistent with the expression she was wearing. I set my vision in front of me and crawled backwards, trying very hard to not think about the red light still flashing in the upper right corner of the lens.

Five hours of crawling later...I found myself next to a blue/black armored foot. A hand suddenly grabbed at my jacket and I was hastily lifted next to them. Garrus is much stronger than I thought if he could lift me up that easily! He pulled me to the side a little bit and asked, "You alright?"

The red blinking ended, thankfully, and became a reassuring green. I nodded with a gutsy grin and he handed me my Mattock, which I didn't realize I had dropped when I fell. I crouched next to Garrus where he stood and returned fire with my squadmates. It was difficult to pinpoint where the enemies were, like playing darts with a glow-in-the-dark darts board. Since their presence alone disrupts my radar and with the dust blocking a majority of our vision, the most I could do is fire at wherever I saw them shooting from.

Though I couldn't tell who did the deed, two explosions sounded off, and the enemy assaults were slowed to a point. Ash took this as a chance to speak, "We're sitting ducks here, but the fact that we're getting attacked must mean we're close." She points down in front of us, "I think we're at the bridge! We just need to make it across and take cover inside."

"The moment we try to move across, they'll cut us all down." Garrus states morbidly.

"Not if we bound our way through, cover each other as we move. If we get shot at, that's what our shields are for!" She plans out.

The C-Sec officer shakes his head, "You saw how easily they took out Marcus' shields. We won't last two seconds there!"

She growls, "Well we can't just stay here!"

It was almost as if a light-bulb went off in my head, "Maybe we don't have to!" I turned to our Asari companion, "Liara, would you be able to create a biotic barrier long enough for us to make it across? Like...a protective bubble?" In Mass Effect 2 we were able to fend off seeker swarms with biotics, but maybe it would be strong enough to protect us from bullets if it was used in a smaller scale.

She considered the idea carefully, locking with my eyes and bowing her head slightly, "I believe so, but it would require a great deal of concentration."

"You've tried this before?" Ashley asked, voicing her concern.

"I have not," She admits, "But it should work, in theory. If I amplify my biotic barriers and expand it past its normal size, it should have a wide enough area to support all four of us."

"In theory?" Ash emphasizes.

"I think it sounds winning," Garrus mentions, as the gunfire intensifies again, "Get it started, we'll cover you!" Ashley and I followed Garrus' example and sprayed into the murk.

Liara stood up out of cover and in two seconds the air around her was blazed in a blue/purple aura and bullets deflected off of her unceremoniously. When I turned back to her, I could see her arms and legs trembling from the feat and her eyes were closed tightly, though her voice and expression betrayed all of that.

"Please step inside, and do not be alarmed," She instructed softly, "The more nervous I become, the higher the chances are that the barrier will shatter."

Oh, okay. So my terrible anxiety won't really help much here. We each take a turn stepping inside, the purple barrier emitting a radiated energy from its pores as we cornered spots around Liara. It was a little cramped, but I don't think any of us are complaining. Liara's eyes were still shut when she spoke again, "This may be a question I should have asked before, but...Do you trust me?"

I glanced at Garrus who nodded and then to Ashley who tilted her head, before I turned to face her directly, "Of course we do, Liara." She opened one eye with some difficulty and adopted a small smile on her lips, "Focus on keeping the barrier up," I told her, grabbing her hand and placing it on my shoulder, "I'll lead the way for you." As I rotated myself around, I failed to notice that her smile never faded until we stepped onto the bridge.

Bullets came at us in an alarming rate, each one being vaporized as it never reaches past the kinetic barrier. I allowed myself a discrete sigh of relief and walked slowly across, feeling like my feet were on auto-pilot. I craned my head back to see how the others were doing. Garrus was difficult to read, but other than his brow plates furrowing, he appeared to be the most calm of us all. Ash kept a tight grip on her rifle, keeping a close eye on where exactly we were getting shot at. The scowl she is wearing tells me how worried she is that this thing is going to collapse at any second...

...A heavy missile bursts through the smoke and hits our protective bubble. For a brief second of a moment, the barrier flickered and I felt a rising feeling in the pit of my stomach. Liara's face scrunched in pain and Garrus firmly stated for everyone to be calm, anything to avoid her from losing her balance even more. I instinctively grabbed something to hold on to, and since Liara's hand was already on my shoulder, it acted like a magnet. This must be more taxing on her than she's admitting. I need to find a way to relax her.

When I was younger, and I had just watched a horror movie, I could never sleep well the night of. So I always wound up sleeping with my mom, being foolishly afraid of the dark. So to get me to forget about that, she would hold me close and tell me to focus on my happiest memory. And that once I thought about that, as long as I was holding her hand, the fear would go away, and the happy memory would keep me safe. I don't know about too many of Liara's happy memories, which means I'd have to be a little more vague with that and more concrete in terms of physicality. Just enough to keep her mind occupied, so...

I made sure my radio was on, before speaking in a soothing voice, "Liara, don't be afraid. Don't think about how we're getting shot at, or don't even think about _us_! Right now, focus on the sound of my voice." I gripped her hand softly, "The texture and warmth of my hand..." A few long seconds pass and the barrier strengthens once more, a clear expression of glee overtakes my face. My other two companions noticed this and urged me to keep going, "Okay...um..." I cleared my throat and commenced walking again, "Now picture your happiest memory, the same one that never ceases to put a smile on your face. The one that fills you with a never ending joy..."

The bubble radiates and evolves into a brighter blue shade, which I can only assume means it's become stronger. My assumption is confirmed when a rocket comes to threaten us again, and it has the same effect as the other conventional bullets did. I can hardly believe this is actually working! Like, holy shit! I continued the cycle of comfortable tones until we finally came across a door. I eagerly pushed the green panel and it hissed open. Once we were all inside, Ash hit the button behind us, providing us with a momentary sanctuary from the drones I believe we were fighting.

As it closed, the barrier immediately flickered off, and Liara keeled over, each of us catching her with an arm before she could hit the ground. We gently sat her down against the wall, Ash already preparing to administer medi-gel. Fun fact, components used in medi-gel allow it to address a wide variety of health issues. Which means they don't only just heal battle wounds, but also: headache's, fevers, common colds, and even eczema (thank modern medicine for that). In fact, Kaidan actually takes a concentrated dose of medi-gel (or something involved with it, not too clear about the specifics) to take care of his migraines back on the Normandy.

Liara was breathing heavily, and once the medi-gel was passed on, she sighed, blissfully with relief.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Ashley asked, worriedly. I guess she may actually be starting to come around the whole xenophobia thing, or maybe she's just acknowledging Liara as an actual member of the team. Last time I spoke to her, she mentioned the thought of Liara being a potential mole. After what she just did, I'd day Liara has definitely done more than simply proven herself.

Our Asari friend nods, breathing still labored, but returning back to normal slowly, "I will...be fine...The strain of keeping the barrier up has caused a rather nasty headache to accompany it. It should subside soon enough."

"Take whatever time you need to recuperate," Ashley told her, "You did a damn good job protecting us out there. And now, we'll return the favor and do the same for you." She looks at me and bows her head before joining Garrus, who was checking the perimeter of the building we had just entered.

I looked at Liara who stared back at me with a sweet smile, "Please go, I will rejoin you soon." I couldn't help but frown. Part of me refused to leave her alone here, for the fear that she'd get ambushed or something while we were away. But, if she says so...then...

"Okay. Catch up as quick as you can."

With a forced grin and a thumbs up, I left her to her independent recovery, meeting up with Garrus and Ashley as they inched further down a haze free corridor, to a small branch-like room that split up into two different paths. Ashley was removing the breather part of her helmet while Garrus, who had already removed his own helmet, was inspecting something protruding off the wall. She and I joined him once she pocketed the thing, and I felt a strange sense of alleviation that I knew just what it was that we were staring at. Nothing abnormal from canon like the damn dust storm outside, just a Geth circuit unit to provide their spawning beacon with a bit of power.

Garrus ran his three fingers down the piece of tech, tracing the cord that elongated at the bottom and snaked its way down corridor number two.

"That must be where the signal is coming from," Garrus concluded, "They could have some serious defenses protecting it. We should be on our guard."

"Always," Ashley's rifle powers up as she voluntarily takes point.

I reciprocate the action and follow close behind her with Garrus. As we neared the end of the corridor, the wires became more frequent and eventually we came across yet another door. All of them led to here, behind this door. No words had to be exchanged, we three were simply on the same page. Garrus punched the panel and we stormed the room...

...And entered into a spacious but somehow still constricted area. If I had to take one guess, the room might have been being built for meeting-type purposes, only without the big table in the center and no small bald man at the end to reiterate the amount of power they have. ...Not even sure where I was going with that...But anyway, the room was smaller than you'd think it is at first glance, with chest high obstacles planted around the room, and the beacon that was generating the signal was stationed in the corner on a slightly elevated platform, with wires trailing away from it. That, like Garrus said, wasn't the only thing here though.

By my count there were 7 different types of Geth units and—this is what really frightened me—three Krogan mercenaries spread out in the room. I planted myself behind one of the chest high obstacles, Garrus and Ashley doing the same as I equipped my assault rifle. The disruptor ammo mod was still good for another ten minutes, so there was nothing to worry about in regards to weapon failure or anything like that.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Garrus making his way around toward the signal, sticking to the shadows so he wouldn't get spotted. Ashley whispered my name, pivoting my head towards her, and she gives me a sign that says we're going to take their attention away from Garrus. I bowed my head to let her know I understood and she began a backwards countdown with three fingers.

Once she hit the last finger, I snapped up from cover with her and took aim at the nearest Geth trooper I saw. Three shots to its chest and another in both the torso and head causes it to go down, smoke sizzling from the frying of its memory core. Ash fired a sniper shot that ripped through any defenses a rocket trooper had, making it headless and rendering it useless. I managed to take down the shields of one more just as they all started firing back at us. I tried taking it out before it had reached cover, but I missed it by just a smidge.

I ducked my head down after I felt a few shots make contact with my shields, figuring it'd be best to wait for the right opportunity and peek them again. Scanning the other side over my shoulder, I could see Garrus toss a disk right underneath where the injured AI had taken refuge, and after failing to notice it for five seconds, blows it up along with two others that were stationed with it. The Geth numbers were dwindling down, but the Krogans were still very much a threat. _Three_ Krogan to me is a lot scarier than _thirty_ Geth! That's because I know I can kill Geth…Krogan on the other hand…

One of them lets out a battle cry and starts raining down fire on Garrus, cracking through his shields. To make matters worse, the other Krogan joins in and unloads his shotgun from afar, which unfortunately nicks the Detective on his bottom torso. The Turian practically leaps behind cover, blind firing as best he can to throw them off. Ash grabbed my arm, "Remember what I told you back on the Citadel?"

Couldn't tell why, but the words came to me abnormally quick, "I take out their shields, you'll handle the rest."

She nods with a callous look in her eyes, "Garrus is injured. I'm gonna try to get closer. Keep their defenses down for me."

I gripped my Mattock resolutely and peered out of cover while Ashley leaped over. She made a good distance in seconds, even with all of the attention she gathered. Time to rectify that! I took aim at the last rocket trooper left and took it down with ease; the final Geth unit burst into sparks from an overload I didn't catch, and so I focused my aim on the Krogan. Four shots from my Mattock took out their shield, making him stumble back as it sparked away. This, however, is when my rifle decided it wanted to overheat (with all of the fighting, I had blanked out on that little detail). Luckily, The Krogan goes down after a combination of blind-fire from Garrus and well placed shots by Ashley. Now to focus on the next one—

Ash's eyes bulge out of their sockets, "Marcus! On your left!"

I felt the impact before I could even see the Krogan that charged at me. The feeling was like getting hit by a moving vehicle, but the jacket I was wearing somewhat cushioned the blow as he pinned me up against the wall. He held me up with one arm, glaring deathly threats as I tried to claw and kick my way loose. To no avail, he was clad in full body armor and it's not like I have a melee weapon to use, or even if I did, I don't think I'd be able to reach it. I was powerless to do anything and that was one of the scariest feelings _ever_. With one swipe, he used his other arm and punched me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me and making my vision darken slightly from the pain. I was seeing spots and for a moment, I swore I could taste blood. Wait a minute... _There's_ a desperate idea...but in the situation that I'm in, what else can I do?

I gathered whatever mucous I could scrounge up in my throat and spat it all in the Krogan's eye. Not the sanest way to break free from a hold I guess, but apparently effective. He stumbled backwards and dropped me, caught off guard by the abrupt action as he rubbed it out. My rifle was too far away, so I unhooked my pistol from its holster and took aim. Without the disruptor mod being attached, it took more than five point-blank hits to take down his barriers, but once it did, my finger froze, unable to finish the job.

Ashley and Garrus were busy fighting the other Krogan, there's no way they can help here. If I don't do this...He's gonna fucking _kill_ me! The Krogan stared at me with slanted purple eyes, the black pupils giving off the impression of imminent death. The barbarous grin he wore was only the icing on the terrifying cake. My hands began to shake as he came closer and closer, finger twitching on the trigger.

Until suddenly, he was immobilized by a blue aura. At the door, I saw Liara breathing heavily with an active biotic palm raised in front of her. Best timing ever, Liara! Thanks-a-million! Despite his struggling to break free, the Krogan let out a battle cry that made my skin crawl, just before his head exploded and became nothing but a red mushy stump.

Turning to my right, I saw the smoking barrel from Garrus' sniper rifle, a cheeky smile spread with each mandible. I grinned back at him, with the realization dawning on me that we finished them all off. Ashley took a look at all of us before walking to the console and turning off the beacon with a direct shotgun blast. Sure beats doing it the proper way I suppose, longer lasting too. So, mission complete, I guess...

The four of us regrouped in the center to plan out our next move.

"Glad that's taken cared of," I said, "So what's next then? Grocery shopping?"

Ash was contemplating, both arms crossed when she spoke, "That all depends...First things first: Garrus, are you feeling okay? You got hurt during the fight."

Oh shit, yeah, I can't believe I forgot about that. Scanning his armor though, I couldn't see any blood or anything. Whatever damage the round may have been able to cause didn't happen, because it never made it past his armor.

"I'm alright, Chief, ready to move out," He caresses the scaring on the armor with a finger, "Besides, it builds character."

Ashley turned to our Asari next, "And you Liara? Can you keep going?"

"Yes." She replied staunchly.

"Marcus?"

Garrus started before I could, "I'm sure he's _full_ of energy after having been hugged by a Krogan. A rare feat indeed."

I glared daggers at him, " Hey! If I wanted to hug a Krogan, I would have just asked Wrex!" Hugging a Krogan...What kind of idiot would try to do that? "...But to answer your question, Ash, I'm fine."

"Okay then," She seems to have come to a decision, "Now that we have the remaining Geth forces done and out of the way, we can focus on helping the colony rebuild. There are three things they need desperately at the moment: Food, water, and power. The food and power are relatively close to each other, but the pumps they use for water are located in the opposite direction." She dropped her hands to her sides, "If we double-time it, we can make it back to the colony before anything else goes wrong, god forbid."

"We could cover more ground if we split up, two and two," Garrus suggests.

"Out of the question," She answered firmly, "We're already winded after the last couple of fights, I don't want to risk us being separated and running into a problem that only the four of us can solve together."

"Ash, we literally just took care of our biggest problem," I argued, "If we split up, we can get what we need faster and make it back to Zhu's Hope in no time. After all, the longer we're gone, the more exposed they are to any threat that decides to pay its dues."

The Gunnery Chief took a deep breath and sighed, "...Has anyone here ever hunted before?"

"Yeah, it's one of the special skills they teach you in the Turian military," Garrus explained, and I made a mental note to ask him about that later, "Though I admit, I haven't honed it in a really long time."

"Better than nothing," Ash turns to me and Liara, "Think you two can handle the water pumps?"

I gave her a thumbs up and grinned, "You can count on us."

"Good," Once they reached the door she turned back at us, "Be sure to keep in Radio contact. The Geth ship that Shepard is dealing with may be blocking long range communications, but _we_ won't be too far away from each other that we can't keep in touch."

"Yes mam. Good luck on your end, guys."

"You too."

And with that, we parted ways. It was only about five minutes after we were walking in different directions that I realized, a crucial error I had made...How I convinced Ash that we were safe to split up because we dealt with the remaining Geth in the tunnels. But I foolishly didn't take into account...

The Thorian creepers that would soon be lurking in every corner...

* * *

 **A/N:** **Thank you all so much for the feedback in the last chapter, guys! Believe it or not, it actually motivated the hell out of me to write :P I really wanted to post this as soon as possible, but I got busy and it turned out longer than I thought it would be, and honestly, it would have been even longer if I hadn't cut it off there lol.**

 **By the way, the dust storm I figured was a cool way to mix some things up, since Feros to me was a pretty boring looking planet. The codex for Feros also says the air is fouled by dust so it seemed like a fun and logical thing to do.**

 **Anyway, now I'm just rambling, I won't take any more of your time. I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter :)**


	15. Irridom

Chapter 15: Irridom

"We have arrived," Liara stated.

"Yeah…"

I'm such an idiot! Why did I say splitting up was a good idea? Sure, we got rid of the homing beacon, and yeah we haven't run into anymore Geth after that; but why the hell didn't I take the Thorian creepers into account? I keep a _list_ of potential dangers in a little _lockbox_ in my head (Wrex, unfortunately, being one of them; just below clowns…), and somehow they just happen to give me the slip? It's even worse that I only realized it after we had already separated. Well, no point in freaking about it now. Best thing to do is just get this shit over with and regroup as soon as possible.

I clicked on my radio, "Liara and I just reached the water pumps. How're you two doing?"

" _We located the spot all of the Varren seem to hang around, and the vehicle containing the power source we need is just sitting here in the corner,_ " she explains, " _We're just deciding on a plan of attack now._ "

" _Spirits, that's a big Varren,_ " Garrus swore.

" _Don't be a baby, it's not_ that _big_."

" _I'm not being a baby,"_ He defended, " _I've taken down plenty of Varren before!"_

" _Oh, that's great! Which means you wouldn't mind playing the bait, if need be?"_ I swear to god, I can practically _feel_ the grin all the way from here.

 _"Not at all! Though we wouldn't have to if we just stayed up here and picked them off one by one,"_ He argued, _"But I know_ some _of us are incapable of hitting a shot from this distance…"_

Damn, didn't see _that_ one coming.

Ash scoffed, " _Is that so? Alright, Vakarian. Bring it on!"_ Of all the times to have a competition… The radio cuts off for a moment before returning with a beep, " _Marcus, take care of the pumps and then start making your way back. Holler if you run into anymore flashlights."_

Can alien plant zombies fit the same bill?

"You bet, and ditto for you." I want to tell them not to go too overboard, but I'm sure they're responsible enough to know that. She acknowledges and then cuts the communicator off, "Well, let's give these folks some H2O, Liara."

She nods her head, smiling as we go through a door that instantly transitions into a small set of stairs about two feet high, which leads into a long hall made up of concrete and fragments of a black metal. This actually looks similar to what it was in the game, only now there's a window that allows you to see outside. Was there a window in the game? Eh, whatever, not important. I sure am glad that storm passed, though. As cool as it was, I did _not_ need the added difficulty to this mission.

We step in front of the first terminal we come across, and honestly, the process of turning on the valves is as simple as it was in the game: you just press a little holographic button and after a few seconds, the terminal radiates a soft green. About halfway to the second terminal, Liara fills in the silence that I hadn't noticed was around. I was too busy thinking about cordyceps taking over, like in The Last of Us, only in Thorian form. Woah, now that I think about it, it would kind of make sense to compare it to cordyceps…Only, you know, without the fungal plates.

"So…Um…" She mutters thoughtfully, "…Penny…for your thoughts?"

I swivel my head, meeting her deep blue eyes before they slant with the tilt of her head. I chuckle audibly. "Trying the phrase out, huh?"

"Yes. Trying being the key word." She says, "I fear I've done a poor job of it…"

I wave my hand in the air, smiling, "No, no, that was a fair attempt! Just gotta let it flow a bit more natural. I doubt I'd be able to say something that the Asari do all the time." I credit her, "Can you imagine me saying: 'by the goddess' without sounding at least a little strange?"

She giggles, smiling warmly, "I suppose not…So…what are you thinking about? Or were, before my abrupt question interrupted your thoughts?"

I raise my brows, "How could you tell that I was thinking about something?"

"A human mind is always in motion, jumping from one thought process to the next. That's what Dr. Chakwas told me." Liara explains, "She also mentioned that humans, like the Asari have predictable facial patterns, unlike Turians or Salarians, which are difficult at times to read." I can definitely agree with her about Turians, but Salarians…I don't know. Did I ever have any trouble reading Mordin in the games? His feelings were always pronounced, but that may have been thanks to the stellar voice acting. "Your eyes squint and wince when you're thinking, and your nose scrunches up slightly as well."

...

Has she been watching me? Because that's kind of creepy…But also flattering I guess, not many people can say they're being observed by a beautiful Asari, after all. "Ah, caught me red-handed then," I smile, stepping up to the second valve. Can't tell her about cordyceps or the Thorian, so… "I was thinking about biotics."

"Biotics?"

"Yeah, and well, how the Asari use it…" I think it's a good save, no? And it could spark into an interesting conversation, "I know Asari develop biotics naturally since it's in their biology, but how do they get trained with such things if they're born with it? And why are some stronger than others?"

"You have put lot of thought into this."

Mmmm. Not really… Eh, kind of? I've thought about it once before. "I can't help it. In my mind, one question usually ends up leading to another, until it all starts to make sense."

Liara turns to me while I finish activating the second valve, "Well, I'd be happy to clear things up. The Asari are naturally born with biotic abilities; that is correct. We are taught to nurture our biotic prowess at an early age so that it does not become a nuisance growing up."

"How can it become a nuisance?" The valve lit green and I waved a hand as we continued down the way, "Is it like how Kaidan gets his migraines?"

She shakes her head, "Lieutenant Alenko's migraines are the unfortunate result of the L-2 implant he was embedded with. That does not have anything to do with the biotics itself, just the conduit used to guide it."

I nod my head to show her I understand, "Are you saying the biotics have a negative effect on young Asari?"

"Oh no, the problem is not nearly as severe as you think it to be," she clarifies, "Imagine...Imagine children using biotics like they would a ball."

Ooooh, I think I get it now, "They'd be getting into all kinds of shenanigans and wreaking untold havoc."

"Precisely." She confirms, "Nurturing the young not only brings about maturity and control for them, but also—"

"—Peace of mind for the adults." I finish. She acknowledges with a single nod, just as we arrive at the third valve. Bringing up its interface on my omni-tool, I inquire once more, "So who teaches them how to control it then? Who taught _you_?"

She blinks a few times, pondering a response while I began the process, "Generally they are shown the way by Asari Matriarchs volunteering at the educational centers." Educational centers? So training biotics for Asari is like going to Gym class in school, or something? I'm _so_ jealous! "However, not every Asari learns control in the same way. After all, I speak from my experience of growing up on Thessia. I'm sure there are other means to gaining control."

That's so interesting. It makes me think about all of the Asari you wind up fighting in the Terminus systems. How many of them started out in Thessia for a majority of them to be so nasty? In personality and attitude of course, since I've yet to see an ugly Asari. But I mean, by Citadel space standards, the Asari are the relatively "peaceful" race of the galaxy; you'd think that'd warrant for something. Then again, that'd be like saying no humans can have individual beliefs or philosophies, which kinda makes me come off as a bit of a hypocrite.

The interface beeps, signifying that the process was complete, a green light erupting to the right of the valve confirming it. Now that that's done we can meet up with Ash and Garrus before nothing bad happens, "You're probably right about that," I comment while putting away my omni-tool, "You still haven't told me how _you_ learned though. Matriarchs as well, I assume?"

"Something like that," She says with a fading smile, "My case is somewhat different..."

We're both startled by the sudden loud sound of a metal clang and I felt my feet move. My heart repeatedly punches me in the chest, how fast it's beating from the scare, as my eyes vigilantly searched for the source.

"What was that?" Liara asked in a hushed whisper. It sounded like metal just busted open or something, but I couldn't tell what it was exactly. Shit! Shit, shit, shit! If this is the start of the Thorian creepers, we need to get the hell out of here right now!

"I don't know," I replied with my best attempt to stay calm, "but it kinda sounded like..." Ah, I think I found it!

" _There!_ " I pointed it out for Liara, the bent metal grate that was wobbling back and forth from the momentum of the fall. "It looks like it fell off of the air vent just above it. Must have been loose or something."

"Yes, it, must have been." She agrees before we're silent again. My eyes stayed on the vent, making sure no plant zombies were gonna come dropping out, when I felt Liara's head move. That's when it hit me, how did I _feel_ her head move?

"Um, Marcus?" It's only now that I realized I had my arm around her, "You can let go of me now, if you'd like."

Oh god, my face feels like it got lit on fire. The blush is real... I cough to get rid of the lump in my throat and I retract my arm, "Oohoho jeez, sorry! It was sort of a reflex. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, I just, uh...yeah. I'm sorry."

"An apology is unnecessary," she says with a comforting smile, "That was very kind of you. And it was...nice."

...

Isn't that the same thing?

A figure moves in my peripheral vision, my head automatically snapping to it for a better look. It's coming from the vents again, but I'm seeing legs dangling from it this time. The legs have pants and shoes on, so it's not a zombie just yet.

"Is that a person?" Liara stole my thoughts. The legs stopped moving for about two seconds before its upper half joined it on the fall down. The now fully bodied figure lay there to get its bearings and then slowly tried to get up. It was—

Wait a minute. I've seen this person before...Oh shit!

"It's that boy!" Liara and I both exclaimed at the same time.

We glanced at each other before making a beeline for the door. Oh before I forget, "Jinx, you owe me a soda." My Asari friend looked back at me, perplexed, "It's a human expression, I'll tell you later!"

After reaching the end of the hall we disappear through the door, making our way back outside. The boy was on his feet by now, wincing as he patted himself down. The only thing separating us from him was this bridge, similar to the other ones we used to cross over during the dust storm earlier. What is this kid doing here all by himself? We speed-walk across, closing the distance between us significantly before he finally looks up at us. His eyes go wide, and just as I'm about to greet him, he does a quick one-eighty degree turn and speeds away.

The little bastard's fast for someone so small! However...

"Liara, pull him back with your biotics!"

"I'm on it!" She complied, emitting a blue aura before launching a pull and grabs the fleeing kid, "I got him."

We both come to a steady halt and catch our breath, the boy foolishly struggling to break free from the levitation towards us. It's actually quite amusing, like watching a cartoon. Once he got close enough I made sure to position myself behind him so he was sandwiched between us, before Liara finally set him down. Almost immediately after, he tries to run again, but I catch him by the arm and pull him back.

"Let go of me!" He screams, "This is harassment!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _relax_ kid!" I say to him, "Just relax! No one's harassing you, we just wanna know what you're doing here, that's all."

The boy scrunches his nose, "I got past those idiot security guards back at Zhu's Hope, and I can get past you too!"

I scoff, "Well of course you did, with all of this chaos I doubt it'd be easy looking after some eight year old kid. Besides, _we're_ not with those security guards."

He looks me up and down, "Eight? Check again, smart ass; I'm twelve!"

Twelve? Bullshit! This kid's like half my height and I'm pretty short already. Though now that I think about it, I think I was just about that small when I was his age—shorter even…

He crossed his arms and whipped his head another direction, "Jeez, you're an even bigger idiot than they are."

Wha—Di—did he just call me an idiot? "Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?"

"Of course they did, but they never said anything about listening to morons, like _you_."

My teeth began to grind behind closed lips as we both glared at each other. This kid is really pissing me off! I ball my fist about to return with an insult of my own before Liara puts a hand on his shoulder, breaking his gaze away from mine.

"Please. Do not be frightened, little one," She starts, her voice soft and reassuring, "We are not trying to cause you any discomfort, we merely wish to know what brings you here, so far away from your village. It is dangerous, after all."

The boy stares at her for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not he should say anything I guess. After one of Liara's honest smiles, the boy gave in.

"Zhu's Hope isn't my village…" he murmurs. My eyes locked with Liara's for brief moment and she waited for him to continue, "My village, Irridom, was taken by those metal monsters when they first came here."

Irridom? Never heard of that before. I always thought Zhu's Hope was all there was on Feros, aside from ExoGeni. Guess the colony was bigger than they implied in the games. How big are human colonies supposed to be anyway? Eden Prime is huge and has fresh soil for agriculture, lakes and what not; so I suppose Feros pales in comparison, by size and...Well, just about everything else really. Feros fuckin sucks.

"I am very sorry to hear that." Liara consoles, rubbing his back with a gentle hand.

Maybe he's trying to go back home now since we took care of the Geth then. "We may have kicked the metal monsters out, but that doesn't mean it's safe to run back home yet, kid," I tell him.

"I _have_ to get home." He says, stubbornly.

"Did you not just hear me? It's not safe," I reiterate, "You need to return to Zhu's Hope."

"Why do you feel the need to go back this very moment?" Liara inquires.

He frowns, "My father is sick. He's not feeling well, just like some of the other colonists haven't been these past couple of weeks." Shit, that spells bad news to me. Is this the start of the 'Thorian Outbreak'? "The doctor at Zhu's Hope is trying everything he can, but nothing seems to be helping. My dad used to tell me he was working on a way to fix that, though. He works for ExoGeni, so he's really smart. Everything he knows has to be on his computer back home, that's why...that's why I'm going back no matter what!"

...*sigh*

"Kid, you really make me cringe, you know that?" I speak loudly, which he responds with a pug face and a glare towards me. He is determined though. I'm not sure any amount of talking is going to change his mind. We could take him by force, but I'm not certain Liara would be okay with that...Plus he'd just wind up running away again. And at this point in time of the mission, the Thorian segment should be starting soon; it'd be death if he was out here by himself. Ugh, what a drag... "But I guess it can't be helped."

His head tilts and Liara catches on to me, "If you intend on pursuing this, then we will go with you."

He raises an eyebrow, skeptical, "You...want to help me? The security guards didn't, why would you?"

"Because we are here to help, in any way we can." She assures confidently, erupting a smile across the boy's lips. Damn, even I got goosebumps with the way she said it.

Glancing at me, his face contorts, "Does the buffoon have to come along?"

I clench my teeth and point my finger at him, " _You're_ the buffoon around here! Who wears khaki shorts in _this_ weather!?" Oh my god, what am I doing? I'm arguing with a kid, there's no winning this. "Argh, forget it. Ash, come in, do you read me?"

There's a short pause before the radio cracks to life, _"I read you, Marcus. We just finished up on our end, for food and power. How'd you guys fair?"_

"We turned on the water pumps, so those are good to go. But we've got a bigger problem." I can feel his eyes boring into the back of my skull right now.

 _"Geth?"_

If only... "Some kid ran away from Zhu's Hope, says he's going to Irridom—the colony's second village."

 _"What? No! It's still too dangerous out here, especially for a kid. Bring him back to Zhu's Hope before he gets himself hurt."_ She orders.

"We tried getting him to go back, but he's stubborn as all hell. He got out of Zhu's Hope without alerting the security guards, and he'd just end up making another attempt anyway." I explained, "So we're going to accompany him to Irridom and get what he needs. Then we'll regroup with you back at Zhu's Hope."

There was another slight pause before she spoke up rather hesitantly, _"What's so important that he needs to get it now?"_

"It's a possible cure to some of the sick people back in the village, his father among them." I bite my lip. If this 'sickness' has to do with the Thorian, then I know this cure isn't going to do shit, I didn't hear of there being one in the game. But I never heard of Irridom either, so...who knows?

 _"A_ possible _cure?"_ she emphasized.

"Yeah, his dad is an ExoGeni scientist and he was working on finding one. It's not concrete, but it's a chance that might be able to help them."

She audibly sighs into the comm, _"Fine. But be careful, the three of you. Keep an eye on him—and on each other! Try to be quick about it. We'll be waiting for you."_

I smile, "Yes mam."

 _"Aren't you going to tell them who won the contest?"_ A flanging voice chimed in.

 _"Please. You_ know _that was a tie."_ She retorts.

 _"Nobody likes a sore loser."_

After that the radio goes silent and I turn to a twelve year old kid grinning widely with jubilant eyes at my Asari friend. She's pretty good with kids I guess, never would have thought to be honest, given how socially awkward she can be. I make a mental note to ask her about that later, just before stepping up to them.

"So what's your name?" I ask as politely as I could.

"Ben." He replies in a similar tone.

"Alright, Ben, you know the way to Irridom from here?" He nods determinedly, "Than lead the way, let's not waste any time."

He turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction of the water valves when I notice Liara, staring at me with a smile.

"What?"

"It is nothing," she says, still smiling, "Let's go."

"Y-yeah..."

...

Weird.

* * *

"Irridom is just past this airlock, come on!" Ben squawks with energy.

"Umm, are you sure?" I ask dubiously.

He turns his head, "Of course I am, why?"

"Zhu's Hope does not have an airlock to enter its grounds, but Irridom does?" Liara asks for both of us.

He pushes the panel for the door and the three of us step inside, "Irridom is where we grow the colony's food. There aren't too many spots on Feros capable of farming, so the ones we have available we keep protected from the environment, using a kinetic barrier around the village. Kind of like a dome."

Oh, that's cool! Ben sure knows his stuff, even if he is really annoying... "I imagine those dust storms would give you a lot of trouble growing shi—stuff otherwise..." I'm almost two hundred years into the future and I still feel the need to watch my language around a kid. Old habits die hard I guess.

"Yeah...Didn't do us much good when the machines attacked though..."

There was a moment of silence before Liara beamed in her calming voice, "So, Ben, if Irridom's focus was on agriculture, does that mean you know how to farm?"

Ah! I flinch at the abrupt appearance of light from the walls, emitting a laugh from Ben, "Relax, it's decontaminating us before we go inside." He explains. If the barrier is gone, then the decontamination is pointless, but whatever. "No. I learned some things from some of my neighbors, but my dad always made me focus on school and stuff. Sooo boring!"

The lights blink away with a beep and the door to Irridom opens. We're hit by an initial gust of wind as we take our steps outside, my shoes crunching lightly on the dirt and dust as they make contact with the ground. The dome like barrier Ben spoke about was ripped open, lights inconsistently blinking in and out of key areas. I'm betting the Geth just launched their forces directly through the barrier, cut through it like butter. Signs of scarring on the floor, I assume that's where they impacted upon landing, which only testifies to that theory.

I turn to Ben who's just staring at the entire thing in shock. This is his home, I can't imagine what he's thinking right now...

"Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned. No twelve year old should have to see all of this...

"I was here when they started attacking, but we left in such a hurry, I didn't know..."

"You don't have to see this, you know?" Liara tells him.

I add in to it, "You can wait in the airlock while we check your house for the cure. Just lock the doors until we come back."

"No." He replies, "I'm strong. I can do anything." The way he says it, it's like he's trying to convince _himself._ "Besides, I want to get something else from my house too."

"Like what?"

He scowls before taking off, "None of your business, loser."

Jeez, this kid's bipolar as fuck! I roll my eyes and walk after him, Liara chuckling next to me. The kid is walking in a rather direct sort of way, like he's got tunnel vision directed towards his house. I can relate. I'm told I get a pretty bad case of tunnel vision when I'm focusing on something, though I never really notice it when it happens. That would seriously suck if it happened out here. In a combat situation, I mean.

Unlike Ben, Liara and I are observing the surroundings. There are patches of crop fields in the fronts of houses, but I think calling them 'fields' is a bit of a stretch, seeing as how they're only about the size of my backyard. I suppose with one at each house, it starts to add up by the time they need to be harvested. That's the correct word, right? I don't know much about this sort of thing. Most of them have been covered in dust or straight up burnt to a crisp, which frankly is pretty sad to see.

The houses have scorch marks on the sides of their buildings and those are the ones that seem to have gotten it easy. Most have pieces broken off, holes in the walls, and even caved in rooftops from the amount of damage its sustained. Smoke from small fires still taint the air with an awful smell I can't describe. If the people on Zhu's Hope have it bad, these guys didn't even have a chance...

People...

That's when it hit me.

"Liara." She turns to me, snapping out of a thought, "Know what I just realized? All this damage. Houses in ruins, crops destroyed, clear signs of a battle...but no bodies."

She nods understandingly, "I was thinking about that too. If the Geth did attack this village, which they clearly did, where are the colonists who didn't make it?"

I stop in place and do a three hundred and sixty degree turn, trying to focus with nothing but my ears, and I heard nothing. Just the crackle from the fires as they swerve back in forth in multiple motions. Things just got way more ominous—we are in a legitimate ghost town.

"On Eden Prime, you said the Geth were turning colonists into husks, right?" She suggests, referring to something I told her a while ago, "Do you think they could be doing the same thing here?"

I shook my head, "No. The Geth were using these spikes, dragons' teeth, to impale the colonists and turn them _into_ husks. But we haven't seen any since we got here..."

"This is it!" Ben exclaimed, running through the doorway just a ways from us. I beckon Liara to follow and we jog in after him. The power was out, but there was a hole in the roof providing us with some light. The amount of dust contained in the room made me cough just a little before managing to get my bearings. With the light outside, you can actually see the particles of dust just floating about, as well as the debris from the hole scattered on the floor.

"Most of the power is out, but there's just enough for the doors to be working, at least. I doubt it's going to last long though." He tells us.

"Okay, so we'd better get to it then. Ben, where's your dad's stuff?" I ask, two hands on my waist.

He moves towards a room across what I assume to be the living room, "What we need should be on his computer in the corner. His password for everything is my name, twice."

"So, benben?" I prod.

"Yeah, you know, like...like the candy bar?" He clarifies, with an embarrassing blush across his cheeks.

"There's a candy bar named, benben?"

He raises any eyebrow, "Have you been living under a rock? It's the most popular candy bar around!"

I tilt my head, "Even more than Snickers?"

" _Way_ more than Snickers!"

Wow. That's a lot to take...

"It is also quite popular on the Citadel." Liara adds, "I am surprised you have never heard of it before."

"I've never been too fond of chocolate, I'll only eat it once in a while." Too much of it is so tiring, my tongue feels so annoyingly strange afterwards, and the taste becomes unwelcoming.

Ben looks at me with horror, "You're weird!" I make a face at him as he jumps into the next room.

"It _is_ a little weird." Liara comments with a sly smile.

I slump my shoulders, "Not you too, Liara..." she laughs and I look up at her, "I'll get into his father's computer, you keep an eye on him, okay?"

"Sure."

I pull the chair out from under the desk and click the terminal on, its holographic interface lighting up a golden color as it displays the word: 'password'. After inputting the pass code, it pushes through the firewalls and all of his files pop up on screen. It looks like he was working on something before they had to leave in a hurry. I clicked to sort it as most recently opened, and once I did, my eyes widened.

The first file read: 'Species 37 - Thorian'.

I swallowed thickly and clicked on the file, revealing four sub folders; the last one on the bottom is labeled in all caps: 'SOLUTION', so I assume that's the one we're looking for. The other three were progress reports, with the third one titled: "Sending Samples". That can't be good at all... Was he collecting samples here and sending them to ExoGeni for study? I thought they were just observing the Thorian's capabilities on the colonists, but...no wait, wasn't there a side quest where you find an outpost of ExoGeni researchers working on Thorian creepers? I should save these files and give them to Shepard when we get back. I open my omni-tool and establish a link to the terminal, which is painfully easy by the way, kind of like mirroring an I-Phone to an Apple TV.

As the files downloaded, I opened the SOLUTIONS one.

 ** _*.*.*.*.*_**

 ** _SOLUTION_**

 ** _*.*.*.*.*_**

 _People are getting sick, my son has been making that fact known to me non-stop. I am fully aware of the dangers posed by the Thorian, but I truly believe the benefits far outweigh the cons in this case._

 _Species-37 has the unique ability to create bio-synthetic copies of its victims (for lack of a better word). Just_ imagine _a weapon of that scale, how much it would benefit humanity. If we found a way to work with it or control it...We could fight armies without wasting a single human life._

 _Precautionary measures must be taken, however, and I promised my son I'd find a way to help the sick. So..._

 _Should the worst come to pass, there is one sure fire way to make sure Species-37 is no longer a problem. Kill it. The brutal simplicity of it is laughable really. Once it's dead, its connection to its victims will be destroyed. Side-effects are unknown, but with something like this, I suppose anything is possible._

 ***.*.*.*.***

 ** _End Log_**

 ***.*.*.*.***

There's gotta be more data on his observations in the other files. Trying to weaponize the Thorian is dangerous as all hell, like downright stupid dangerous! Like, I've heard some pretty stupid shit this week, but this definitely takes the cake. Ben's father is just another ExoGeni scumbag that doesn't give a rat's ass about the consequences of their actions. The ends don't always justify the means, not if you lose your sanity along the way...

My omni-tool beeps to let me know the files have finished downloading and I close the terminal. The solution isn't what I was hoping for, but it looks like the mission is still going to go the way it does in the game. Liara walks out of the other room with Ben following suit, a necklace now hanging from his neck. That must be the other thing he wanted to come back for.

"Have you located the cure?" Liara asks.

"Yeah," I replied reluctantly. With these files I have an advantage now, because now I can stop pretending like I don't know about the Thorian, which means I can get us moving back to Zhu's Hope as fast as possible. "But it's not what we thought it was. We need to get back to Zhu's Hope right away!"

"What do you mean?" She inquires with concern in her voice as I reach the front door.

"I'll explain on the way, just trust me—"

...

Oh...Shit...

As I stepped outside, I stopped myself so quick that my shoes felt like they magnetized to the floor. Liara and Ben did the same but when he gasped, I raised a hand and Liara covered his mouth. This is not fucking good.

We were surrounded by Thorian Creepers.

There has to be about two dozen of them, at least. Crouched into a ball, hugging their legs as they wait for the right moment, just as they did in the game. Their skin was a sickly green color with a leathery type quality to it. Black veins ran through their back and head, connecting to each other like a network.

 _A dead network_ , I couldn't help but think.

One in the corner of the group lifted its head, revealing a mouth with no lips to cover teeth and noticeable brown eyes. One in the center lifted its head up now, this one having blue eyes, and then another with green. It must be the only thing distinguishable about the people of have been changed...but they're not alive anymore. They're too far gone with the Thorian now...

As more and more lifted their heads to stare at us with dead eyes, it only just occurred to me that they were waking up. We had to get out of here as quick as we could but, we'd need a way to get past them, 'cause I doubt they'd just let us walk right through them. My eyes find the airlock from which we came in. That's our ticket out of here. Once they all had their heads up looking at us I realized we don't have a lot of time left before they start attacking.

"Liara, Ben, get back inside, _slowly_." I shakily whispered. I couldn't emphasize that last part enough. They complied, carefully making their way back in. But this sudden movement got two of them to stand up. "Don't stop, keep going." I urged them. They continued but at a faster pace and were inside in seconds, though it felt like a lot longer. Hell I feel like I've been standing here for hours already. The sudden change in speed made another seven of them stand up. If I'm out here by the time they lunge, I'll die out here!

*sigh* Fuck it.

A quick turn later and I ran inside, making them all stand up and release some form of cry. Getting past the doorway, I slammed my hand against the panel to close the door. It gets about halfway through before jamming in place, the green holographic panel dissipating out of thin air. Did the power seriously just run out? _NOW_?

"Agh, give me a fucking break!" I shouted at the air. We need to block the door somehow, keep them from coming inside. "Liara, hold them back behind the door with your biotics." She shouts a form of acknowledgment and gets to work five feet away from the door.

"Ben, help me push the couch against the door!" I jump over to one side and look at him standing idly on the other end. He's too scared to move. I called his name again and he stares at me with wide eyes, "Come on!" I shouted once more, beckoning him to his side of the couch. He jitters slightly before putting both hands on the couch and began pushing. I did the same, Liara's biotics whipping in the air as she tried her best to keep them from getting inside. "Heads up, Liara!" I warned her. In one motion, she rolled over the couch and went back to it. Major style points for her. We smack the sofa up against the wall and door, leaving only a small opening for the creepers to get inside now. Okay, now we just have to find a way out of here.

Suddenly, a projectile was thrown through the opening, and it cut through any biotics Liara had at the moment. Luckily she realized this right away and jumped out of its trajectory. It hits the wall and steadily began to eat at the white surface, making me cringe at the sight of it. Their acidic spit sure works fast. How long before they'd be able to burn through the sofa? We can't stay here. We need to find a way out. I pivot my head towards the back, hoping there's an exit there, but with how small this house is, I'm not entirely sure it has one. The windows would be an option, but with all of them out there, I feel like we'd get ripped to pieces the moment we step outside. Finally, my eyes lock on what might be the best potential candidate.

The hole in the roof.

I point my finger at it, "Liara, help Ben get up through there, up to the roof! I'll hold them back here in the meantime."

"What about you?" She asks, getting under the hole next to Ben.

I remove my Mattock from its holster and stand where she was, "You can help me up right after, just make sure you're both up there first!"

She hesitates to do anything for a second, but she nods and biotically jumps up to the roof. The creepers were trying to charge through, but it's a good thing the Mattock has some heavy rounds, because each shot seems to make them recoil back from the hit. Despite my shaky hands, I still had enough accuracy to take down at least three of them in only a few bursts. One I managed to get a head shot on as it tried sticking its head into the room, squelching as it popped like a water balloon. It was disgusting, because their 'blood' looked a lot like vomit that you'd see in a cartoon or something. They're relentless in trying to get in, and with the amount I'm seeing, it reminds me of World War Z. The movie was cliché as all hell, but the zombies were pretty frightening.

Ben gets biotically lifted up onto the roof, just before two spits of acid get launched at me. I leap to where the hole is, just barely avoiding them both and then scramble to get back up. They were starting to get in now and I raised my rifle at the ones coming towards me. Three shots in the chest takes one out before it could even make a hit, while another I get with a clean head shot. I have no intention of dying here, but more and more are starting to pour in. I continued firing, killing four more of them before my rifle's heating chamber finally hits its stopping point. The creepers had no such limit however. And the thought kept bouncing in my head: 'What the fuck do I do now?'

With more of them coming towards me, I holstered my Mattock on my back and reached for my pistol. As Gaz once said: 'switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading.' But before I could pull it out, I felt a weird static tingle around my body and I was thrusted up the hole, just before a creeper was going to pounce on me. It tried spitting acid as I went up, but from the angle I was at, there was no plausible way it could hit me. Coming up felt so freeing, even making my chest loosen up a little bit from the pressure I felt down there. A wincing Liara put me down gently, though I still fell on my ass. Lifting people must be hard work, which makes me think about the recharge times in the game as more than just a cool down mechanic.

"Are you alright?" Liara asked through labored breaths.

I chuckled, "Much better now that I'm up here."

She looks at me like I am crazy, "How can you be laughing at a time like this?"

I laughed even more, "Because Liara, I'm alive! That's the perfect reason to laugh in this kind of situation."

"Did you get hurt?" the boy colonist asked.

"No, I'm fine." I replied, smiling. "The way my stomach feels makes me think I'm going to throw up at some point, but at least we're all still breathing."

"I guess...But what do we do now?"

I tilt my head to where I spotted the airlock earlier and nudge it so they can look, "We make a run for the airlock."

"We make a run for it?" he repeats.

"Yeah. I know it's not perfect, but that's the only way I can think of that they won't be able to follow us." I look back to the hole, listening to the moans from the creepers down below, "Plus it helps that they all seemed to have piled up in the room below."

"Which means we have a head start." Liara adds, jumping on board with the idea.

"Exactly," I get up and pat the dust off my hands, "You guys ready? We need to get back to Zhu's Hope."

"I'm always ready." Ben says with some bravado. I'm amazed he still has it with all of this going on.

Liara nods, "I am ready too."

"Okay." I breathed out. The roof was layered in dust, so running on it head on would be stupid, we'd slip and fall to our deaths. Not from the drop since the building is only like eight or ten feet, but if we land wrong, I can definitely see one of us breaking our necks. I walked cautiously across, pushing the dust with my shoes to the sides, in order to make a runway for us that leads to the direction of the airlock. Liara helps too and Ben pushing the little bits that were left behind with the bulk of it. Once it was cleared, we went to one end and looked at each other.

"Let's be careful when we're landing, especially you Ben. Liara can use her biotics to cushion the drop, but _we_ can't, so—"

"I know, jeez. You don't have to give me a lecture." He stubbornly cuts me off.

"I'm serious, Ben." I said, "You could get hurt."

"I'll be _fine_."

Liara looks at me, "I will help him."

I nod to her, "On three then...One...Two...Three!"

Just like that, we broke off into a run, gaining as much momentum as we could until we got to the other side of the roof, and jumped off the edge. Once we were in the air, I could see Liara grab Ben's hand before they both glowed blue and hit the ground, sticking the landing. I, unfortunately, forgot how to do the drop and roll trick my friend taught me in ROTC, so I landed on the tips of my feet, just below the toes. A shock ran up my legs and I tumbled to the ground, face first. I couldn't feel any pain though, so I got up rather quick and waved my hand at Liara to start running for it. She did so and took Ben with her as they sprinted their way through the dead village of Irridom. I followed in pursuit of them, being only a little behind.

With each building we passed, I saw more creepers popping out of alleyways and corners that we may have overlooked on our way in. One glance behind us showed me the ones inside the house were starting to come out too. I picked up the pace and shoved the ones behind them to the ground, but with each passing house, more kept joining in.

We can't fight all of them, we wouldn't stand a chance against this many at once. That airlock is the only chance we have at this point. I push the ones behind them as best as I can, but I can feel my lungs starting to give out, even if my legs were full of energy (thank you, adrenaline), so I did my best to just fall in step next to them. Luckily, we were approaching the airlock and Ben hit it first, pressing the panel to get the door open. I took out my pistol and turned around, firing at the ones coming towards us. My aim was god awful at this point, so I wasn't killing anything, but a few shots do manage to hit. Liara follows my example and kills a couple with her own shots.

She clenches her fist and throws a black sphere ten feet ahead of us. The gravitational pull from the singularity catching every single one that comes within its vicinity, floating them around it. The door opens up a fair amount at this point and the three of us step inside. Ben reverses the door's action from open to close and we see the overwhelmingly amount of creepers head straight towards us. Once more, Liara glows and this time sends a warp out. It makes contact with the singularity, resulting in an explosion of biotic energy, killing at least ten of them in one blow and knocking the others back, as the airlock door finally shut them off.

Liara staggered back and I caught her with my arm. The three of us didn't say a word, the only sound to fill the room being the moans of the creepers on the other side and our heavy breathing. We sat against the door, each trying to catch our breath from the marathon it feels like we just ran. And suddenly, I started laughing. It was a chuckle at first, but then it got louder and developed into a laughing fit.

Ben joined in and then so did Liara, all of us glancing at each other and laughing together. At that moment, I knew we were each thinking the same thing...

We're alive.

* * *

 **A/N** **: Two months without an update, my god I'm horrible. I'm sorry guys, I had a very difficult job with writing this chapter. I had to rewrite it like three times! I wasn't happy with how it came out at first, and then at some point it got erased and I foolishly didn't back it up, so I had to write it from scratch again, which really put me off and ugh...I'm sorry. Hopefully the extra-long chapter makes up for it? ...sorta?**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter is going to be coming out, I don't want to lie to you about it. I want to go back to my regular schedule, but I have other responsibilities outside fanfiction that require my attention. I wish it didn't, but hey, that's life.** **It sucks :/**

 **Maybe things will change over the summer, 'cause I'll only have work to worry about mostly at that point, but who knows? At some point I'm going on a binge with this story and just burn out chapter after chapter, because it will be done before the year is over. I promise!**

 **That in mind, thank you all to have stuck around and waited! It means a lot that you guys are still reading, and the reviews are just sooo nice to see! If you have any comments or concerns, or anything at all, PM me! :)**

 **Anyway, til' next time guys!**


	16. Defend the Heart of the Colony

**A/N : Important message at the end. **

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Chapter 16: Defend the Heart of the Colony

I closed my eyes tightly as we sat there, all trying to catch our own breath while I also focused on getting rid of the headache that had manifested under my radar. Hard to believe we even made it through all of that. I didn't think we'd end up seeing so many at once, it felt like I was playing Left 4 Dead or something. Goddammit. There's that word again. "Playing." I've been saying it ever since I got here, but saying it after that, after coming so close to death? It feels foolish to even think about it. Let alone utter the word.

My breathing starts to slow down and the urge to puke is beginning to subside as well. Perhaps it's the adrenaline wearing off, though I doubt it's the last I'll be getting of it today. There's still plenty of the mission left to go through, after all.

That reminds me, I should check in with Ash and Garrus. I lean forward against my legs and put a hand on my left knee, to use it as a balance before pushing myself up and off the wall. The quick and sudden motion makes me get a head rush, almost kicking me back down, but I manage to find my balance.

"Ash? Garrus? You there?" I asked into the mic.

"They can't hear you." Ben said in between breaths, "Once you pass the airlock, radio communication in Irridom just goes dead for some reason. My dad said that's one of the reasons why we didn't call for help from here in the first place."

I crane my head to him, "So the whole time we we're in there, our radios have been turned off?"

"Not turned off, just not working." He answered honestly.

"Why didn't you mention that before?" I ask getting miffed.

His nose scrunches, "You didn't ask."

"That's not funny!" I exclaim, "Our team could be in trouble, right now. What if those things are attacking Zhu's Hope and they're getting overwhelmed because we weren't able to hear them!"

" _We_ managed to fight back and beat them." He defended.

"No. _We_ managed to get away. There's a monumental difference."

The kid scowls, putting his head down to look at the ground. Liara looks at the boy and then raises an eyebrow at me, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. Maybe I am being a little too harsh on the kid, he's still only twelve, doesn't know any better. And he's got family there too, he doesn't need to be reminded of how bad it is. To his credit, he's a lot more capable than I was at his age.

"Sorry, Ben. I'm sure they're fine, I'm just worried that's all." I say and walk towards the entry way we originally came from, "I'm gonna try to hail them, meet me outside when you guys are ready."

I don't get to see what their response is before I step back outside on the "nicer" side of the airlock. I'll take simple cool air and dust over that with zombies any day. Still, being out here after all that just gives me an unsettling feeling that I'm being watched for some reason, or that more of them are going to pop out of some dark corner like a bad spawn point in Nazi Zombies.

Shaking my head away from the thought of yet another game, I retry my radio. Only, someone else's voice chimes in first.

 _"Normandy to Shore Party. Come in."_ Joker calls, a little too nonchalant.

 _"What is it, Joker?"_ replies the Commander.

Just hearing her voice again makes me sigh out of relief. If I can hear her, that means the Geth ship that was blocking any comm signal of ours has been dealt with. Which also means that she'll be on her way back soon. Thank god.

 _"We're getting a lot of Geth comm chatter."_ He informs, _"Looks like they're headed your way."_

 _"Thanks for the heads-up, Joker. Williams, have you heard anything from Marcus or Liara, yet?"_ She asked. I want to say she sounded a bit concerned, but her voice sounds the same as it's been since the mission started. So I'm just gonna say it was her "Commander" voice. Better that way.

 _"No. Nothing yet, Commander."_ The gunnery chief answered back. Now _she_ sounded worried. Guess I should stop being mute.

I beep my comm signal in, "I'm here, uh, Marcus is here."

They both replied at the same time.

 _"Where have you been!?"_

 _"What happened? Is Liara with you?"_

I know the comm chatter is in my head thanks to my omni-tool, but I still found myself flinching away from the direction of my left ear, which is where I set for all the radio talk to come from. They were both very loud just now. But, despite the nonexistent (but equally felt) ear bleed, it's heartwarming to know how concerned they are.

"Liara is still here with me, and so is Ben, the colonist boy we found." I tell them, "Commander, I assume Ash told you where we went after you got communications back up?"

 _"She did. What kept you from checking in for so long?"_

I sigh out a breath of air, "Irridom, the other settlement here on Feros, was somehow blocking my signal from getting through. I'm not entirely sure how, but my money is on the Geth. Maybe some of their tech was lying around or hiding somewhere we couldn't see."

Honestly I can't come up with a better explanation than that. Even then, it's not a very sound one, I don't see how the Thorian could disrupt any radio signals though. It connects to people, not technology.

 _"Did you have to fight any?"_ My teacher asked. Well, I suppose they're all my teachers in a way. But Ash was the one who offered to help me first, and the one who taught me how to shoot a gun.

"No, no Geth."

 _"Then what was happening just five minutes ago?"_ Kaidan beeped in, _"Both yours and Liara's heart rates were going abnormally high. It's either you were fighting something, or you were going for a run."_

"Or both." I muttered. Hold on a minute, "How do you even know that?"

 _"I'm a medic, Marcus."_ He simply states, _"Your omni-tools track your vitals and send its data back to me and Doctor Chakwas on the Normandy."_

"Fancy." I comment amusingly, "But you're absolutely right, we were fighting something. Question: did you happen to find anything about a life-form called the Thorian?"

This time Shepard speaks again, _"Yeah, but how did you—?"_

"The boy's father, the ExoGeni scientist? He had files about it written on his computer." I explain, "I downloaded them onto my omni-tool, I can show it to you later. But you need to get back here as soon as you can."

 _"Don't worry. We're already on our way."_

Ashley speaks now, _"Marcus, what's going on?"_

I hear a mechanical hiss from the door opening behind me. "The Thorian has telepathic abilities...among other things..." I trail off slightly. How do I explain plant zombies to all of them? May as well say it and just go with it, since I've got Liara and Ben to back me up on this. "On Irridom. What we were fighting...It was the colonists."

 _"Say again?"_

"The colonists." I reiterate, "Only it wasn't them. Technically they were already dead. The Thorian's presence here changed them, turned them into, well...zombies, in a sense."

There was a long pause and I glanced at Liara who shrugged her shoulders. They don't believe me.

 _"Zombies?"_ Ashley deadpans.

 _"Woah, hold on!"_ Joker cut in, _"Are you telling me we're in a George A. Romero, movie?"_

I laughed dryly, "Something like that, just with aliens. And a whole helluva lot scarier. Believe me."

"It is true." Liara says into her own radio, "We nearly did not make it out ourselves. We must not underestimate them."

 _"Alright, we'll take your word for it."_ She concedes, thought still not believing it.

"Hopefully that's all you have to do, but I have a feeling we won't be that lucky." I unconsciously began pacing back and forth, "Ash, Garrus, you two need to leave Zhu's Hope, right now."

 _"You just said we might be in danger from '_ zombies' _, we can't leave. What about the colonists?"_

"Actually, that's exactly why you need to get away from that village, at least until we regroup." I say making gestures with my hand for some reason, "The Thorian is taking control of the colonists there, influencing them to do its bidding. Not to mention the large amount of bodies already waiting to come back."

 _"Ooh, this mission just gets more interesting by the minute."_ Garrus comments.

 _"Influencing them? Marcus, are you sure?"_ She asks, still skeptical. Hell, I know I _would_ be being in her shoes.

Shepard chimes in, _"Everyone listen up! The Thorian has taken control of the colonists living in Zhu's Hope. It lives underneath the village. Marcus is right, Williams. Exit the settlement's grounds and regroup. We'll be there soon."_

 _"Understood, Commander."_ Goddamn, chain of command conquers all. Shepard to the fuckin' rescue! She must have just been informed by Lizebeth at the tower. I didn't have to convince shit! _"Marcus, where do you want to regroup?"_

Hmm. I feel like we're too far away to go through the way we came. It would take too long. Shepard would even get there before us.

"Hold on, gimme a sec." I turn to my colonial companion, "Ben, do you happen to know any shortcuts back to Zhu's Hope?"

"What do you mean the Thorine is controlling the colonists?" He asks worriedly, completely ignoring me.

Was kind of hoping he wouldn't be paying attention to what I was saying. His dad is an influential part of his life, a part he holds very dear. That's the only reason I haven't told him the full truth about what was on those files. The things his father did. It would abolish the pretty pedestal he placed him upon in his head. He cares too much about him, which is why I need to choose my next words carefully if I want him to cooperate.

"The _Thorian_ ," I correct him, which earns me a roll of his eyes before I kneel down and grip his shoulder, "I mean exactly what I said, Ben. The Thorian is manipulating the colonists at Zhu's Hope. That's why your dad wasn't feeling well. Its influence was taking over his psyche and gaining control over his body. Just like it was with the others."

He frowns at me and bows his head, and I shake him with the hand I had holding him, "But you were right. There _is_ a way to make him feel better. We just need to get rid of the damn thing. But we need your help to do it. Once it's over, I promise...Your father is going to be fine."

His eyes widen for a brief moment before a smile brims from ear to ear, "Okay. I think I might know a way. Let me think..." He ponders with a hand on his chin and then rubs the back of his head, ruffling his black hair, "I can't get us back into Zhu's Hope directly, but I can take us to where your ship is. And that's just outside the village."

I tune back into the radio, "Can you meet us at the docking yard?"

 _"Docking yard. You got it."_ She replied, _"See you in a bit."_

"For sure." I say with a thumbs up to Ben, "Over and out."

God that felt cool to say.

"Where do we go from here, Ben?" Liara asks.

He thrillingly jogs down the path in front of us, only instead of turning right from we came from, he goes to the left and beckons us to follow him.

"This way!"

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right way, Ben?" I ask for the third time since we entered the building.

We're in one of the ruined buildings that we spotted while on our way to Irridom. It looks unsurprisingly similar to the other ruined buildings we've visited since we got here and also like the tower Shepard and the rest of the team were just in. At least, from what I remember of the architecture in the game. But even then, still boringly the same. If this was a sprawling metropolis for the Protheans back in their day, than their architects sure had terrible taste. So single minded. Come to think of it though, that reminds me of what Javik once said, about how their military strategies were all the same due to following the teachings of only one race. It's why they wound up getting bested by the Reapers. Apart from the surprise attack on the Citadel of course.

So as far as the layout for this entire colony goes, Ben explained it. It all comes together in a big circle. The south part of the circle is the tower of the docking yard where they receive exported goods from ExoGeni or mail delivery ships. From there is a building that converges onto two different paths. The left side leads to Zhu's Hope and then exits into the North side, which becomes the skyway via an elevator. But there's another path you can take. The one we took earlier, which houses where the water valves stay to keep both settlements hydrated. If you continue on the same path, it eventually takes you to Irridom. Keep following it and you'll wind up at a building which supposedly connects to the docking yard again, thus becoming the alternate right side you could take in the beginning and completing the circle. But I don't remember there being another path to take when we got here.

"How many times are you gonna ask me that?" He asks with an annoyed tone.

"As many times as it takes until we end up at the spaceport." I reply, "It just feels like every corner we turn, we're still in the same place."

Liara who was next to me looks me in the eye, "That does not surprise me. Protheans are not exactly known for their diversity in architecture."

Oh, how funny it is that you say that, Liara, "You think so too?" I ask with an eyebrow raised.

"Indeed I do. I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten lost in a dig site during my first few expeditions." She says, "But I believe Ben knows where he is going."

"How can you tell?"

"Because she trusts me?" Ben says out loud.

She laughs before she speaks, "Yes, there is also that. Whenever I explored a ruin, I would place landmarks to represent what certain rooms were. Perhaps a flag, or a marker accurately placed on my omni-tool's mapping data."

"Okay..." Where is she going with this...?

"Inside every hall we have walked through, the number of stones in each door's entry way have been increasing." I turn my head to the doorway we were going towards and see seven stones laid neatly in a row along the wall til it meets the frame of the door. Damn. Good eyes, Liara. I didn't even see it until she pointed it out and I'm usually good at that sort of thing.

"It is how the colonists found their way through the buildings, isn't it, Ben?"

"Close. The adults already knew how to navigate through these halls. This was the way they took to carry exported supplies from other places to Irridom." He cranes his head to us, smiling sheepishly, "The stone placements are what my friends and I did to help us get around when we snuck out to watch the ships come in. We wanted to feel like adventurers..."

"That's...smart of you, Ben. Of you _and_ your friends..." Shit, what can I even say? Most of his friends here are probably dead by now... "Um..."

"We're here." He announces as we turn the next corner, out of the hall and into a stairwell.

It was in bad shape, like all the others. I plant myself adjacent to a black gate guarding some rubble behind it and take peek over the edge. Liara stands next to me and does the same, making an 'O' shape with her mouth. We're quite a ways up, so much that after a while, the stairs below us become nonexistent, covered only by a sheet of pale smoke. The ones that were visible had sections that have been either broken off, or covered in debris from the ones that have been broken off. It must have gotten like that after Ben and his father escaped to Zhu's Hope. Either way, I'm not sure what we're doing here, it seems like a dead end.

"How far down does this go?" I ask out loud, not really expecting an answer. I have an immense fear of heights, so I tend to voice my concern for it whenever a situation involving it presents itself.

"All the way to the bottom. Not _all_ the stairwells do, but the central stairwells? Like I said before, they used this tower to transport supplies." He waves his hand out at the open space in the center, "I think there might have been an elevator here a long time ago to carry things, make it easier to reach the floors without having to go up and down all these steps." That is generally what elevators are good for, but I'll keep that to myself. "This goes down for miles. Even with breathing masks it would take hours to get to the bottom, if that. I'm not really sure. Dad said everyone that's tried never came back."

I swallow thickly after that, peeling my eyes away from the chasm below and rubbing my neck. The skyscrapers the colony is built on—I didn't realize they went so high up. It's no wonder they get dust storms so often. Oh, jeez...I'm only now realizing that we're a long way up...Shit. Don't look down.

"Right then. So...Where to?"

Ben takes a few steps down the stairs until he reaches the middle point, where a piece of the wall railing was missing.

Wait...Oh, I see where this is going...

He gestures to the opening, "The way to the docking yard is one floor below us. But it's on the other side. We just have to jump across."

I widen my eyes, "Oh, just jump across? That's it? Thank god! I thought we'd have to deal with something dangerous, like an escalator, or a stable platform."

He catches on to my sarcasm, "It's not that bad. My friends and I used to do farther jumps for fun."

"With an unforeseeable drop looming under you?" I point at the chasm with my hand.

"Well no, but—"

"Exactly!"

"It does seem rather dangerous. Is there no other path we could take?" Liara asks.

He shakes his head, "Not without having to backtrack, and it would take even longer now than it would have before." He explains, frowning, "You wanted the fastest way to get to the colony: this is the only way."

I cross my arms, "Ben, you said the drop goes down for miles. What if one of us trips and falls?"

He shrugs and then smiles deviously, "It's all a mind game. You can't be afraid that you'll fall, otherwise you will. Look, watch!"

"What? No, Ben, don't!"

Completely ignoring me, he gets a short running start before launching himself across. My throat closes up at the sight of his feet leaving the concrete, being replaced by the air below. Shit, this is it. I'm gonna watch a kid die before my eyes because I didn't do anything to stop him from being reckless. What's Shepard and everyone else going to think when I tell them he died under our watch? How am I gonna live with that?

Fortunately, I won't have to, because the sound of his little grunt and his feet hitting the ground makes me sigh in relief.

"See?" He calls to us with an impish grin.

"Now's not the time to show off, kid!" I yell at him, mainly because I don't want to give him the satisfaction of proving me wrong. I hate not being right, which happens way too often.

"You're the one who was too scared!" He argued back, a smidgen of impatience in his voice, "Are you two coming?"

I felt a hand on my back, "Would you like to go first, Marcus?"

Normally I'd try to do the manly thing and go before her in this situation, to show that there's nothing to be afraid of, that sort of thing. But she seems to be a lot more confident than I am about this...

"No, no, no, it's fine. I need a moment to ready myself." I step aside to give her some room.

She nods her head at me with a "very well" before glowing blue and—I shit you not—floating gently down to the other side where Ben is. It reminded me a lot of when you first meet Samara in Mass Effect 2, after she biotically throws the mercenary across the room and jumps over to them. Still, it's not fair! Why can't I have biotics?

My blue Asari friend turns back to me, "Are you ready?"

I rest my back against the wall, feeling the anxiety bubble in the pit of my stomach as I try to control my breathing. This is fucking crazy. It's too far, I'll never make it across. What am I talking about? Of course I will, they both made it across already. There's no doubt that if I go at my full speed, I'll make it. For sure! But, no wait. What if I go too fast and go farther than I intended before lowering past the floor above them? I could hit my head and then plummet down...Ugh, this sucks.

"Don't think about it!" Ben shouts, as if he read my thoughts, "Just jump!"

Oh, screw it. If I fall, at least it'll be painless, right? Yeah. Okay. Here goes nothing. I spring off the wall and take two powerful steps with my legs until I hit the edge and jump. Only unlike the other two, something happens when I jumped. The spot on the edge where I launched myself from, it gave out at the last second. So instead of jumping, I found myself buckling forward and falling straight down. I hate my life.

That anxiety I had has been replaced with that terrible force of dread, only I'm not actually thinking about that. I can't believe this is how I'm dying. I mean of all the lame ways to go out...Eh, I'd prefer not dying at all, but at least this way it'll be painless. Won't have to worry about dying by a hail of gunfire, explosions, or zombie spitting goop.

I only get past two floors below them before the g-forces cease pushing against me and I felt a familiar tingle surround my body. Looking at my hand, I realized I was covered in a biotic aura and being lifted onto the same floor as them. Liara (my hero) making a face of sheer concentration as she set me down. I sat up straight and looked up at them. Ben stared incredulously at Liara as she huffed for air. Lifting me up three or more floors clearly drained her.

"You have some shitty luck dude." He comments, "But Liara that was so awesome of you!"

"I know." I replied scornfully at him, before getting up and looking at Liara, "You _were_ pretty awesome just now. Thank you for saving my life...again."

She chuckles in between breaths, "I aim to please...bruh." I raise an eyebrow at that and she laughs a little more, "Did I say it correctly?"

I laugh with her, "We'll work on that one too." I say patting her shoulder.

Ben moves to the top of the steps and beckons us once more, "The docking yard isn't far now. It's just through here."

"Alright," I say walking past Liara, "But I almost died just now. No more Nathan Draking, okay?"

He rolls his eyes, "Sure. Whatever that means."

* * *

After a few more halls and dropping down a floor to avoid some debris that was being blocked by a gate, we finally managed to reach the docking yard, like Ben said. Turns out the way beyond this black gate leads to Irridom and I vaguely recall seeing it in the game a few times. Never thought much of it besides linear game design. Still it's incredible to know just how much was missed on Feros.

We take a few paces outside the doorway and I tune my radio in, just as soon as I saw the Normandy. Ah, what a beauty she is to look at. A shining gem compared to the dull, dusty, bull shit environments I've been surrounded in this entire mission.

"Ash, we're at the spaceport. Where are you?"

"Right here." She answers just ten feet away from me, with Garrus next to her.

I have to physically stop myself from hugging them. As great as it is seeing them, they might find that just plain awkward...

"You guys are a sight for sore eyes." Garrus says halting in front of Liara, "Those 'zombies' give you much trouble?"

"Maybe just a little," I reply, smiling, "Would have been nice having you around, Garrus. That ugly face of yours would have made them run the other way."

"Jealous of my face paint, Marcus?" he asks, "Don't worry, comes with puberty. We'll get you yours eventually."

Damn! Alright, I don't have one to match that.

"You guys feel okay?" The gunnery chief asked.

Liara shrugged and adjusted her armor's shoulder piece before she spoke, "We had a few close calls, but we managed."

"Definitely have a few stories to tell." I comment, "How about you two?"

"We'll compare notes back on the Normandy once this is all over." Garrus says, "Still need to take down this...Thorian creature."

Ashley's eyes move past me and land on the twelve year old behind me, "You must be the runaway."

Oh right, they haven't actually met, "Ash, Garrus, this is Ben. Guaranteed best tour guide if you ever wanna explore Feros."

No one gets a chance to react at my poor joke as the sound of a slight scratching and banging against metal is heard coming from the Normandy. The abrupt noise was ominous to say the least, filling up the wide space of the spaceport enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand. Joker's voice suddenly came up in my radio.

 _"Uh...Normandy to shore party. Come in."_

Ash put a finger on her ear, "Joker?"

 _"Chief, you said you guys were going to meet up in the docking yard, right?"_

"Yeah, we're here now." Her voice sounded like it was somewhere else, probably still focused on the noise.

 _"Are you hearing that? I think some of the colonists are trying to get in."_

"Did any of the colonists follow you guys out?" I whispered to Ash.

She shook her head, "No. Everyone's still back inside, all accounted for."

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

My eyes met Liara's as if we both reached the same conclusion at the same time. I'm not sure when it happened but the five of us quietly made our way over to the end of the walkway, arriving at the corner that turns into the docking plank of the Normandy. Finally we get a view of what it is. A group of Thorian creepers, four of them standing limp in the back while another three clawed and banged on the ship's door like there was a riot going on.

"Those your zombies?" Ash asked, a little taken aback by their appearance.

I remove my Mattock from my back, "That's them."

Everyone else with the exception of Ben brings out a weapon of their own and Miss Williams let's out a whistle to get their attention. They all turned around to us with dark beady eyes. Their teeth black as night as they grinned ear to ear, crinkling their leathery gray face. The seven of them lined up and after a scratchy little cry from one of them, they charged. A quick glance behind me showed me that Ben was staying behind Liara, so at least I won't have to worry about him getting in the way.

Right after Garrus fired a sniper rifle shot, in one swift moment, bullets began to fly. The thorian creepers never stood a chance as the barrage of mass effect rounds pounded into them one after another, not even giving them a chance to make it halfway before they plopped to the ground. A couple actually exploded, covering sections of the walkway with a snotty green liquid that I still can't compare to anything other than vomit.

Once that was done we lowered our weapons. "I don't even think 'zombies' come close to—" Ash shudders, "I don't know what that plant does to people, but those is were not human."

 _"Chief? Joker? Everything alright?"_ Shepard inquired on the radio.

Ashley responded, "We're fine, Commander. Ran into those zombies Marcus and the doctor described earlier." I'm not sure why she just called Liara 'doctor', that's weird. I mean I know Liara is a doctor and all, but it's still weird. Like, why not just say Liara?

 _"So did we."_ The Spectre says, _"We're back inside Zhu's Hope, coming up in the elevator now. We're taking back the colony. Start coming in from the other entrance so we hit them from both sides."_

"Roger that, Commander. What do we do about the colonists?"

 _"Avoid them if you can, even if they shoot at you."_ She orders. It's good that she's doing this the paragon way. I'm not sure how I'd explain it to Ben otherwise. Not that I'd be able to help if she wasn't...nor would I. _"We have gas grenades to knock them out, but on the off chance they get too close, hold them down until we get to you."_

"Understood. We're making our way there now."

"Hold on just a sec, Ash." I say with a hand held up, before pressing my radio, "Joker, could you open the door to the Normandy and keep Ben with you?"

He replies back instantly, _"Sure, but I'm not babysitting. Pressly can have that honor."_

The boy audibly starts to get fussy and show dislike for this idea, "I'm not staying there! My dad still needs me!"

I turn to him and speak as sympathetic as I could, "Ben, I understand that okay? But if we're going to take back Zhu's Hope, we can't be worrying about you in the middle of a fight."

"He's right, kid," Ashley says, "You'd be safer in there until we finish up."

"I don't care about being _safe_!" he shouts, "I need to make sure my dad is going to be okay. Even if you force me to stay here, I'll just leave right after you."

"I wouldn't put it past you, you're a very capable guy, Ben." I begin, "Heck, it's because of you we're still around this very moment. But we can't be distracted, not now."

"We would feel much better if you waited here," Liara helps, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I promise you: In the name of the goddess, we will save everyone, your father included."

He looks at me and looks like he's about to argue some more, but then looks at Liara, who's smiling back at him before finally sighing and bowing his head, "Alright. I'll stay." He points a finger at me, "But you better not slow her down, loser!" Oh, so it was just Liara who convinced him then? Damn. I thought I was making an impact on the kid...Oh well.

"I'll try my best." I chuckled lightly.

After one last look at us, he spins around on his heel and began walking toward the entrance of the Normandy. Once the door to the decontamination chamber closed, we all looked at each other and nodded. It was time to get moving.

With that, the four of us start running toward the entrance of Zhu's Hope. Really gonna have to be careful once we step inside. We're going to get shot at and have to worry about being attacked by the walking dead at the same time. It's a good thing I've got some of the best and brightest with me, so what do I have to be worried about? Once we get through with this, all that's left is the Thorian. _Really_ looking forward to that...

We arrive at the door and form up on either side of it. Ash and I on the left, Liara and Garrus on the right. The door panel was red at first, but after Garrus messed with something on his omni-tool and hovered it over the lock, it blinked to a soft green color and the door slid open. Ash entered first, followed by Liara, then me, and finally Garrus who brought up the rear. This particular movement reminds me of when I did mil-sim in my Xbox days. Honestly, aside from ROTC, that's the only real source of info I have regarding the military, and even then it was all just for fun.

Anyway, as soon as we were inside, the smell of decay and fire invaded my nostrils just as it did when we first got here. Gunfire could be heard on the other side, giving me the impression that Shepard and the others have made it out of the long ass elevator ride. We take cover in pairs behind some of the metal barriers the colonists placed up earlier from the Geth attack. Garrus crouching down next to me as he and I were the last to come in.

He removes his sniper rifle off his back and peaks over to scan the area with it. I stayed staring at him, I am so fascinated by how his mandibles flicker in place when he is focused. If that's supposed to be the corner of his lips (which I assume because they spread when he laughs) is he smiling when he's scoping something down? Kind of puts things into perspective for someone like Garrus. He really enjoys his job, or at the very least, the feel of a sniper in his hands.

He lowers the weapon slightly but doesn't take his eyes off whatever he was looking at in the distance, "They haven't noticed us. Looks like they're getting ready to fight, probably expecting Shepard."

"Any zombies?" I ask, mattock held in both hands.

"Tons. But they're in some sort of stand by mode, crouched down instead of being around the colonists themselves." He glances at me, "This is a perfect opportunity for us. We should get a little closer, find a better angle."

"Good idea." I'm more than happy to let Garrus take the lead on this.

I twist myself out of cover and bound over to a dirty white machine, which I think is the same one that deals with the water for the settlement. I lean to my right, popping the corner to get a view of what Garrus was talking about. He's right, the colonists haven't noticed us yet and there really are a ton of creepers crouched in wait. Too many for a quick count, easily over twenty or twenty-five. The rows of white cloths covering the deceased wasn't there anymore. All of it was tossed around like a bed sheet in the morning after a rude awakening. They became creepers like the colonists in Irridom...

I gulp down a lump that had formed in my throat. Once we start firing they're all going to wake up and attack us, as will the colonists. But I suppose it's better we take care of them before Shepard gets here, so she won't have to worry about getting acid spat on her while she saves the colony. Just need to make sure the innocents don't get caught in the crossfire.

Gun shots became considerably louder now on the other side of the center complex. The unique sound of the gas grenades detonating informing me that Shepard has made it in, just like us. That means the creepers are going to get up regardless now, so whether we agree or not, we had to act. I look at Ash, Liara, and then at Garrus.

"After you, Garrus." I tell him.

He raises his rifle once more, and just as the first creeper stood up in place, a mass effect round escaped the barrel of his sniper, punching it in the face so hard that its entire body blew up on impact. Five more stand after that and then another six as well.

And so the fight begins.

I open fire on the crowd with my Mattock, strafing over to the side opposite of Garrus while Ash and Liara hung back a bit, making us unintentionally form a semi-circle. This allows us to cover certain angles though, and act as a blockade for them as they charge at us all together. Almost none of my shots managed to land where I wanted them to, maybe one or two that took at least one creeper out. Moving and shooting is something I'm not very good at yet, at least not with my Mattock.

Upon reaching the end of my strafe I crouch down to stabilize my aim. One by one, my companions took one out with their own attacks. Garrus switched to his assault rifle for a more effective offense since they were coming right at us, and a sniper rifle isn't exactly great for this situation. Ash laid down a volley of gunfire from her Avenger, easily spraying them down as they came. Very impressive stuff, I still wish I knew how to spray well. Definitely gonna work on it some more when we get back. Liara was keeping the heat up with her biotics, sending warps and throws one after the other, causing the creepers stumble here and there, and making them easier targets for the rest of us.

I focused my aim on one at a time. The first one took three shots to the chest before I watched it explode into slime and land on some of the others, whom I then fired a few more shots at. One more goes out with a head shot that I'm not sure I can take credit for, while the other went down after one of my rounds broke through its blackened teeth. It slammed on the ground back first from the force of the heavy round, leaving the one behind it wide open. So I triggered four more shots at it, three of them landing in it's legs and then the final one punching through its head. God, I love this thing.

The hiss of a sliding door behind me catches my attention and before I turned around, I felt bullets ping off my shields. Once I craned my body around, I saw it was two colonists with pistols firing at us. Their faces were blank as if they had given up on the world, no life in them whatsoever. And yet, with how slow they're firing, I could see how much they were trying to resist. I can't imagine having to fight something like the Thorian in your head, like trying to get rid of a bothersome headache. We need to put them out of commission until we cross paths with Shepard, but we can't harm them either, so how do we...

Oh. Idea!

I shout to Liara over the deafening sound of the one sided firefight and point to the colonists behind us, "Liara, can you keep them in a stasis for now? They'll just be trouble otherwise."

She nods, "I can, but I will not be able to help in the fight." She stands up and proceeds to do so, putting an end to our dropping shields. If it were just me here, my shields would have died a few seconds ago.

I get closer to her spot, "Don't worry about that, we'll take care of them. Just make sure _they_ don't get the opportunity to hit us." I say, gesturing to the two colonists.

Thanks to Ash's assault rifle, I don't get to hear what she says back, but it's some form of acknowledgement I think, and so I focus my attention back on the creepers. It was after I put down another three of them that I see Garrus' shields flicker. That's when I realized he was getting shot at, but it wasn't from behind us this time. I lean to my left to peek around the corner of the building and spot the perpetrator located on top a set of steps. Before I could call it out though, a puff of green smoke exploded next to them and the shooter went unconscious. That means Shepard is getting closer.

Suddenly, the last few of the creepers left were on us, two of them tackling Ash onto the ground while another spat acid at Garrus. He dodges the projectile and then the creeper lunged at him. I shot my Mattock twice at one of the ones attacking Ash before the rifle overheated. I decided to switch tactics and instead used it as a melee weapon and swung the rifle underhand like a baseball bat, the stock slamming into the zombie's face, killing it right then and there. But before I could deal with the other one on her, I found myself on the ground. The wind was knocked right out of me as another creeper I hadn't noticed pounced on me.

The stench alone made me gag, holding it back with both arms firmly against its shoulders as it tried to swipe at me with its claws. The first attempt I manage to wiggle out of the way, but the other slashes on my upper right arm. In this case, shields are useless, so the claws rip through the jacket I was wearing and I felt the irritating sting of a wound on my arm. It doesn't hurt too bad, but I still find myself grunting in pain. I'm defenseless right now, this isn't good. The creeper all of a sudden began to gag a little, its stomach and chest squirming as it was going to upchuck.

Fuck. It's gonna vomit.

I try my best to twist it a certain way that it wouldn't drop on me, but this thing is surprisingly strong for a bag of green meat. I can't go for my pistol because if I let one arm go, there wouldn't be enough force to keep it away from my face, same goes for if I were to try to punch it. I can't do anything right now.

Then out of nowhere, its head explodes, and its 'blood' splatters all over my face. I'm more shocked than disgusted at the moment and when I looked to my left, I see Ash holding her pistol out with one hand as the creeper still attacked her, the barrel still smoking from the recent shot. The creeper stabs her in the arm with one of its claws, puncturing through the first layer of armor, and judging by the pained look she gave, it must have penetrated skin too. It doesn't get another chance to hit though, before she throws it to the side and shoots a mass effect round through its face, effectively killing it.

I toss the headless one on top of me to my right, seeing Garrus has dealt with his as well. All of the creepers out here are dead now, we killed them all. Once this thought fully registers, nothing could stop me from keeling over and puking all over the floor. It was just waiting to happen, even after Irridom, I'm surprised it didn't happen then. Though I'm sure this shit on my face has something to do with it.

I wipe it off to the best of my ability using my untattered sleeve. A few hard swipes of it across my face got most of the gunk off, but the smell sure didn't leave. Like rotten milk left out on a hot day. Disgusting is actually too nice a word to fittingly describe my opinion of it.

Footsteps around the corner pivot my head away from the ground and I see Shepard with her fiery red hair show up, along with Tali, Wrex, and Kaidan behind her.

Her eyes lock onto the colonists Liara was holding, "Liara, back up." She orders and the Prothean expert complies, removing them from their stasis and jumping backwards away from them. Shepard throws a disk at them and before they could open fire, a green puff of smoke erupted and knocked them unconscious. That means all the colonists are now accounted for.

"You guys okay?" She asks, offering a hand to Ash who gladly takes it.

"Yes, mam." The chief says, dusting herself off, "Just getting our feet wet."

"And our faces," I joke but still cringe from the stench, "Those things smell awful, guys."

Kaidan offers me a hand now, "I was wondering what that was."

"Haha," I deadpanned before taking his hand. Once I gripped his hand, I felt a shock surge up my arm and I immediately gripped it with my other hand. I could feel the blood mat on my palm as I placed it down on my injury. Why does mine hurt more than Ash's? She got stabbed by the claws, which makes me feel guilty since she got it saving my ass, but damn.

"He needs medi-gel." Kaidan states as he clicks a few things on his omni-tool.

Oh okay, I get it now. I remember one time Kaidan told me that their hard-suits automatically dispense medi-gel when they get hurt. I'm not wearing a suit, so I never actually got any medi-gel to seal up the wound. He crouches down next to me and passes his omni-tool over my arm, a cooling sensation passing through me as a clear gel gets slathered onto where it was stinging.

"Feel better now?" Shepard asks.

I grin, "Like a million bucks!" I move my arm up and down to give it some motion and I'm happy to see that there's no pain at all anymore. Fascinating stuff this modern medicine. I take Kaidan's hand again and this time he helps me up no problem.

Once I'm on my feet, Liara spoke up, "I'm sorry I could not help when the three of you were under attack. It's my fault you were hurt, forgive me."

She's blaming herself? Aw, no Liara. "It's sweet that you care Liara, but there's nothing to forgive. You did good."

"He's right." Ash agrees with a serious face, crossing her arms after she nods to her.

"If it weren't for you keeping those two colonists away, our chances might have been even worse." Garrus adds, "They would have shot us in the back or those things could have overwhelmed us. Point is, we all did our parts and we managed, nothing to worry about." He nods at the end there.

Shepard steps up now so that she's in the center of everyone, "You did great, all of you." She says glancing at everyone, "But the mission isn't over yet. We've still got a telepathic alien to kill."

Hell yeah, let's exterminate the bitch.

Shepard moves past between Garrus and Wrex and stops at the console located in the back. We all follow her, and after a few clicks on the terminal, a section of the building gets lifted up, revealing an opening that leads into the bowels of Zhu's Hope.

This is about the same time Fai Dan shows up, but he hasn't yet. Hmm...

"Have you guys seen Fai Dan?" I asked Kaidan.

"Yes, he was over there by the south entrance where we came in." He answered, "He seemed to be the most reluctant to act under the Thorian's influence."

What? That's not what's supposed to happen... "So he's okay then?"

He nods, "We knocked him out and left him with the others. Why do you ask?"

It takes me a moment before his question registers in my head, "No reason." I quickly reply, "Just haven't seen him since we left is all."

Okay, I guess that's not a big step away from canon, and it's not like it's a bad thing he's still alive, right? I mean it'll be good to have him around for the rebuilding of the colony once this is over. I always thought it sucked that he died anyway, like it never made sense to me in the game when he pulled the gun out on Shepard, why she didn't just gas him like the others.

Anyway, we walk over to the opening and Shepard gives us one last look before nodding and taking out her shotgun. The rest of us do the same with our own weapons and follow her down as she takes the first steps inside.

I'm kind of anxious to see this thing. At least we'll all be together to face it. It was really weird looking in the game so a part of me can't wait to see how it looks in real life.

I bet it'll look twice as ugly.

* * *

 **A/N : It didn't take me nearly as long as last time to post this lol I wanted to get at least one more chapter out before the end of April but this chapter had a lot happening in it and I wanted to make sure it didn't feel too rushed. ****I'll get to work on the next chapter tomorrow!**

 **Things are getting slow at work so I finally have Saturdays off now (it's why I'm posting this today) and my finals are next week too, which means I should have more time to write down the road.**

 **Speaking of which, important announcement! One of the reasons it takes me so long to update is because I keep bouncing back in forth between stories and it just kills the mood or the vibe for me when I have to jump to a completely different universe and writing style. So I'm proposing a system for myself, one that'll affect the other story more than this one though.**

 **Basically, after the next chapter, I'm going to take a slight pause on this one until I finish the first act for the other story. But every three chapters I post for that story, I'll post one for WtME so you won't be completely left out. Once the first Act is done, all of my focus will be on this story until it's complete. But with every five or ten chapters I do of WtME, I'll do one for my other story. But yeah, there you go!**

 **If you can, please leave a review or PM me with your thoughts on this chapter or even this little message here at the end, I love to hear from you guys and it really makes my day! :)**

 **Anyway, see you on the next one!**


	17. The Gang vs The Thorian

Chapter 17: The Gang vs The Thorian

As we reach the bottom of the hidden sloped path underneath the freighter, my shoes squelch sickeningly as they make contact with some weird organic substance that's spread out on the floor. It was yellow and brown, and unfortunately for us, sticky as all hell. I cringed after the landing and attempted shake some of the gunk off, but it held on dearly to the soles of my shoes. I suppose it doesn't matter, I already smell like shit anyway, and I can always clean my shoes up afterwards. I just hope Tide and Snuggles can get rid of Thorian doody.

Hmm. Do they have Tide and Snuggles this far into the future? Something to think about later.

"What is this stuff?" Ash asks out loud, peeking at the bottom of her right boot.

Kaidan opens his omni-tool and scans the ground, "It's...some kind of organic matter. Could be from the Thorian, it's not showing a reliable source from any current medical databases."

"If this belongs to the Thorian, why did we not see it earlier among the settlements?" Liara inquires.

"From what we learned at ExoGeni headquarters, they still don't know a lot about the Thorian, aside from its telepathic capabilities." Kaidan says, "It doesn't have to leave it's home down here because it uses others to do its dirty work. So if this is its lair, I'm sure it has free reign to...um...drop wherever it pleases."

"Are you implying that this is—?" He nods, making her revolt a little. "Goddess."

Ash frowns, disgust clearly there with her expression, "Well, this stuff sure looks like crap."

"Smells like it too," I add, smugly.

Honestly? I don't think it is. The damn thing is too big for this to be 'droppings'. But I don't know, the Thorian is pretty much a mystery even to me. It was never expanded on too much past the first game.

Wrex takes a deep whiff, which turns a few heads, "I've been through worse."

"Really?" I ask. "I find that a little hard to believe."

"Ever been to a Thresher Maw's shitting grounds?"

"Uh..."

"Hmph." He grumbles, "No contest."

"Well, you can't say that for sure," I try to argue, "Maybe the Thorian lays down some pretty disturbing stuff and we just haven't seen it yet, you know?"

"Are we really having this conversation?" Ash deadpans.

"Whatever this stuff is, I'm sure it means we're getting closer to finding this thing." Garrus cuts in, changing topics.

"Agreed." Shepard...agrees. "Cut the chatter. This thing could be hiding anywhere and we still don't know what it looks like. Be ready for anything."

Well, I know what it looks like. Maybe I could bend the rules a little and explain what I remember from it in the game, but I'm not one hundred percent sure Ben's father explains it in those files I downloaded. Besides, with everything that's been different so far and how grotesque the creepers themselves look? That thing's gonna be as much of a surprise to me as it will be for them.

We all do as the Commander says and get into a more alert mind set, venturing through the halls in a buddy system and keeping two meters apart from each other. I was with Ash in the middle, which is funny considering we're the only two who have gotten hurt. As far as I know, anyway.

Hmm, Funny... No, there's nothing funny about that, actually. She's hurt because of me. Because I couldn't defend myself against one fucking zombie...creeper, you know what I mean. She had to save my dumb ass, because she has me as a poor excuse of a teammate...It's bittersweet, really. I'm happy to know that she has my back, just like she promised me back on the Citadel, and then again on the Normandy. But I can't stop thinking about it in my mind, the insertion points displayed clearly on her armor plate where the creeper dug its claws into her arm.

I lucked out this time. There's no doubt in my mind about that. I mean, yeah, she got hurt, but it could have easily been worse. What if we had been up against Geth? Or mercenaries, or something? To me this situation was no different to my inability to fire at anything with a life—I was still powerless to do anything. And if that's the case, what good am I to them? I'm just a liability...If the situation had been different she could have gotten killed trying to protect me.

I shudder at the thought.

Fuck looking weak. My selfishness is not worth more than her life. Any of their lives. When we get back on the Normandy, I need to have a talk with Shepard. Tell her about my...issue. Maybe she'll even help me out with it. She's Commander Shepard, after all. Or...maybe, she'll condemn me to the Normandy, and I really will become a janitor for the Alliance.

As we reach the end of a doorway, I heard something lurch just beyond it before it gets covered by Tali speaking, "So all we have to do is find this, Thorian. And determine what it...what it..." she trails off as we all enter the chamber and finally come face to face with the Thorian.

"Keelah. What is that?"

...

Wow...That is just...What the fuck am I looking at? It looks like...a brain. That's the best way to describe it, I think. Er, the outer part anyway. There are bumps protruding around the exterior of its back, with black veins and glowing lights shooting rapidly in precise sequences in every which direction until they run through one of several cylindrical plugs. Each plug extending their way out of 'brain camp' and I assume connects to several different nodes as wall sockets.

As for its head...Its leathery neck tightly grips the brain in place like an already tight collared shirt with one too many fastened buttons. The outer ridges of the face appear to be made of a similar leathery texture as the neck, leaving me the impression that it might just be a mask of some sort. What I'm assuming to be the eyes are split into four parts, each of them bumpy and pink like the inside of an esophagus. The other exposed parts like its nose and mouth are like folds of pink meat. With tentacles clinging idly from the lips and bottom of the neck, dripping with a green saliva that makes an awful noise at the slightest lurch, sending chills up my spine.

I was right. Not even the games could have prepared me for how gross this thing looks.

"That does not look like any plant I've ever seen." Shepard says, "This may be...problematic."

She takes a few steps forward, skirting closer to it with caution. We spread out a bit more on the platform we're on so that we don't bunch up in one spot; half of us moving to the left side of the pillar, while the other half moved to the right, which is where I was. Even seven meters away from the edge I could still see the dust in the air below it.

Those 'plugs' are the only thing keeping it from falling to certain death, in the unforeseeable pale smoke that lies at the bottom. It just occurred to me, this must have been one of the main towers that Ben talked about. It's no wonder the damn thing dies then, nothing can survive a fall like that. Not unless you're a Dragon Ball Z character anyway.

As Shepard got even closer she paused once it began heaving. The tentacles in its mouth spreading like a claw as it's breathing increased, getting heavier by the second, until finally a shower of green gunk oozes out along with a green Asari. I turned my head away slightly from the unpleasant sight, before looking back to see her standing firm and staring holes into Shepard.

"Invaders!" The green Shiala clone begins, with a threatening and condescending tone, "Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose." Her head twitches freakishly before spreading her arms, "I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!"

Jeez, it's like hearing a Shakespearean play.

Shepard stood her ground, "You gave something to Saren. Something I need." Okay, direct. I like it.

The clone squinted its eyes, "Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made." A scowl crinkles her green skin, "Then the cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend to the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

Shepard takes on a more menacing tone, "These colonists are not your slaves! I won't let you keep them under your control. Release them. Now!"

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long."

The clone removes the shotgun off her back, but gets no opportunity to use it before an overload from someone on the team takes down her barriers and Shepard blasts her away with her own shotgun.

Well, that escalated as quick as I remember it.

A screech makes itself known behind us, but gets silenced after Wrex splits the source in two with an up close shotgun blast. Three more charge in from the room adjacent to this one and we all light them up with our weapons, making them explode into a mist of green and brown. Ash edges towards the room, checking corners with Wrex coming up behind her, though he's probably just looking for something to shoot at. Three seconds into the room, she calls out.

"Commander! Some sort of growth in here. Check it out."

She does so, along with the rest of us until we're all left staring at it.

"What do you suppose this is?" Tali asks with some warranted disgust.

"Only one way to find out," The Commander says before offloading a round point blank into its side.

Wrex laughs hardily, "Hahaha! Sounds good to me!"

The multitude of mass effect rounds punch through its squishy layers until it pops, retracting the 'plug' off the 'socket', and making the Thorian shriek in agony.

"If we didn't have it's attention before, we sure do now." Kaidan comments, "There's got to be more of those around."

"There are." I say, trying to help, "You notice the arms coming out the top of its back? They connect to those growths on the walls on each floor. If we take them out, I'm sure gravity will do the rest."

"Good idea, Marcus." Shepard compliments, which makes me smile. I'm such a cheater, but hey I have this info for a reason right?

We step into another room with a staircase in front of us and Shepard turns her head, "The corridors are going to be tight, especially with all of the zombies coming at us at once." I have to stop myself from chuckling. I guess they never actually call the Thorian creepers by name in the game, do they? "Wrex, Tali, Marcus, and I will deal with the ones in front. Kaidan, Liara, knock out any late comers that try to hit us in the back. Williams, Garrus, keep them covered when they need to recharge. Let's move!"

It only takes a second for us to get into our assigned positions, but it only hits me as we reach the stairs that I'm in the front with Shepard. This makes me incredibly nervous for some reason, but I shrug it off. No room for anxiety now, I won't let her down.

Half way up the staircase, we come across two creepers in their crouched state, waiting for the moment to attack. Despite how many bullets we pumped into both of them, neither went down. They're impervious in this state, so instead we alerted our teammates behinds us and just kept moving. A little further up, we heard biotic echoes from behind, letting us know that they had been taken cared of by Liara and Kaidan.

Upon reaching the top, we're met with three more creepers in a similar state, only these ones get up immediately, along with a familiar green Asari clone peeking us from the corner at the end. No one seems to question it though. Instead we open fire, Tali aims an overload at the Asari, bursting her shields down and making her stumble back. She lets out one blast from her shotgun that I felt ping off my shields before hiding behind cover. I fired five shots into the closest one, killing the creeper as the mass effect rounds rip through the soft skin and it explodes into green sludge. The one behind it charges at us, but Shepard biotically pulls it, suspending it in the air for Wrex to finish it off with two shotgun rounds. The last one leans backward, preparing to shoot us with its acidic vomit. But the clone I guess didn't realize this, because she lifts it biotically instead before throwing it at us. Shepard kills it with one shotgun blast, following with a stasis on the clone. Tali moves in first and fires her shotgun to put her down.

Continuing into the small hallway, I realize I'm the only one here who isn't using a shotgun. The Mattock has heavy rounds though, so maybe that's why I'm in the front with them. Damn, leave it to Shepard to consider such a thing on the fly. She came up with this formation in seconds.

We step onto the next floor, five creepers wishing to bid us a greeting. But we aren't interested, and we mow them down with relative ease. Before entering the room that has the next node in it, the one with the caved in floor, that slopes into the next one? I make note of the equipment placed in the back there. Lab equipment and some other machines I didn't recognize just sitting there collecting dust. This must be one of the spots ExoGeni had set up their things to study the Thorian. Never thought about it until now to be honest. The Thorian must have driven the scientists out after a while.

My shoes crack underneath the fallen rubble of the broken floor laid out in front of us, aiming my rifle at the fifteen creepers that stayed waiting here for us. They all simultaneously stood up as the four of us were in, many of them screeching like a feral ghoul in Fallout before charging at us. Wrex releases a cry of his own before charging in, biotically throwing three of them forcefully at the wall and then smashing one's head against the wall with his bare hand. I pull the trigger three times, aiming at the ones trying to hit Wrex from behind. I manage to kill two of them before I'm met with one right in my face, releasing a foul stench as it's mouth went agape. Before I could react, it's head gets blown off by a shotgun blast to my right, covering me in zombie plant goop for a second time.

I turn to take a look at the culprit and I see Tali with a smoking barrel, "Sorry!" she apologizes in her cute little accent, subsequently firing again at another one.

I wipe the shit off with my sleeve again just in time to notice Shepard slam two of them against the wall at the same time. Leaving Wrex to deal with the last three that were left. I aim one more time and take out the one furthest away from him with three shots, neatly hitting the creeper twice in the chest and once in the leg. The Krogan bounty hunter squeezes the head of one in his hands, green blood leaking through the spaces of his fingers as it popped, before getting vomited on by the last one. His shields do nothing for him as it makes contact with his armor, sizzling bit by bit. But he just grunts and pounds the creeper into the ground before stomping on it for good measure.

Gunshots are going off in the room behind us, which means they're in a bit of a scuffle themselves. Shepard shoots the node that's pulsating on the wall and after five shots in total, it bursts like a water balloon and the arm slithers out of place. The Thorian's cry fuels us as we push on.

"You good?" Shepard asks Wrex.

"I can regen my cells, Shepard. I'll be fine." He answers, cocking his shotgun and letting the heat escape from the cooling unit.

The Commander nods and bobs her head toward the next doorway as the rest of our team behind us enters the room as well.

"Then let's push on."

* * *

Going up the next two floors went about as well as you'd expect. Luckily, aside from Wrex getting spat on, no one else had gotten injured after that. The hordes of creepers the Thorian continued to throw at us proved no match, despite it having the numbers. The clone, while she was a bit of a nuisance at times, became easy to deal with using a combo of biotic and tech attacks. I just let them take care of her when she rolls around.

After what seemed like hours of fighting, we finally reached the top floor with the last node. All eight of us were gathered on the platform, eyeing the last node from the opening across the chasm on the edges. The Thorian knows this is its last stand, so I bet it's throwing everything it has at us. There's over fifty creepers crouched in wait on the other side of the small hallway, with a node strapped to the wall above them. I couldn't see any Shiala clones at the moment, but I'm sure they're hiding somewhere.

"This is the last node, everyone. We're almost done." Shepard says.

Kaidan shrugs, "Looks like it. Don't think it's going to make it easy for us, though."

"Nothing we can't handle, LT." The GC adds, "Just need to switch up our tactics a little."

Shepard nods, concurring, "Chief, Liara, you two come up to the front with us. Marcus, hang back here with Garrus and Kaidan and pick them off while we get in close."

I'm fine with that. I acknowledge her orders with a bow of my head before crouching a few meters away of Garrus as he pulls out his sniper rifle. Kaidan stood next to me and he readied his biotics, the blue energy emanating from his body. Shepard looks to everyone with a nod which we all reciprocate, before they step in.

The moment Shepard set foot onto the platform, creepers began standing up. The first of the bunch to stand in the back lost it's head after Garrus pulls the trigger on his sniper. I point my Mattock across the gap and load seven shots into the crowd. The distance was farther than I thought and a couple hit the wall behind them, but most manage to hit a few in the legs or the chest. Kaidan puts one in a stasis and I take the opportunity to shoot three rounds at it, making it shatter into a mist of green muck.

Five creepers suddenly get flung backwards against the wall, toppling over some of the other ones on the way. Biotics sure are useful to have in a fight, or in general really. Hell I think just today, biotics have saved my life...what, three times now?

Garrus fires another shot, this time punching through the face of an Asari clone before her shields could recharge. I knew they were hiding! But where are the others at? I continue to fire more rounds into the crowd, eventually killing four more before overheating my rifle. The weapon hisses as the cooling chamber does its job and I strap it to my back. Just as I'm about to switch to my pistol, I felt a strange familiar tingle overtake my body.

Only this one tingle I knew wasn't from Liara this time, nor was it from Kaidan actually. Why you might ask? Because why would either of them pull me out into the open space above the empty chasm?

I immediately start to panic, flailing around in the air trying to gain my own balance, but to no avail. I hear Kaidan call my name and Garrus swore loudly, and so I shouted back.

"K-Kaidan pull me back! Do something!" I shouted in a nervous panic as my eyes met the pale smoke below me.

"I can't! If I try to use my biotics on you right now, I'd just blow you up!" He warned me.

I groan in frustration as I continue to flail about. Christ, I must look like an idiot right now just floating out here. Luckily I haven't moved away from the edge much, if I can just move a little bit closer, I can—

The tingle goes away. Gravity decides to be my enemy once again and I drop unceremoniously through the air. I reach my hand to grab at the ledge, but I miss it by half an arms length, filling me with even more anxiety in a split second. Once again I find myself believing that I will truly die of something so ordinary. But at the very last moment, I felt a hand grasp mine and I gripped it as hard as I could which stopped me from falling. The sudden jerk in movement pops my arm out of its socket, giving me cause to yelp a swear word as the pain makes itself present.

Looking up I see my savior, Kaidan clenching his teeth as he attempted to lift me up. Shots ping off his shield and as much as I'd like to see the source I can't take my eyes off of him. The crack of a sniper goes off and his shields go calm. Not a second later, Garrus appears and helps Kaidan pull me up. Relief striking me as I lay flat on my back clutching my arm with my other hand.

"Thanks Garrus." Kaidan says to him before chuckling mirthlessly, "Bad time to have a migraine."

He had a migraine? I get floated into the air and then my one saving grace gets a migraine in the middle of saving me? I'm not saying it's his fault or anything, hell, I owe the guy! But goddamn it, why do I have the worst luck in the world? Ugh...At least I'm still alive, I guess.

As delicately as I could, I bend my legs and use my right hand to push off it to get me standing, "Thanks guys, I owe you one." I tell my two companions as I wince mid-sentence. God, a dislocated shoulder fuckin' hurts! I can't imagine what breaking it feels like. The slightest movement sends a shock up my arm.

Upon hearing an accompaniment of bullets, I sigh out a breath as the node pops and the last arm lurches out of place. It's a good thing we won't have to fight anymore or this would have seriously sucked...even more.

With one last cry of terror, the Thorian tried to desperately cling to whatever it could, but it was pointless. And as the ancient building shook around us, the creature finally lost its hold, diving headfirst into the deep dark abyss of the pale smoke.

Goodbye, Thorian. I'm sure no one around here's gonna miss you.

Garrus holsters his sniper rifle, "We should regroup. You feeling okay?"

I halfheartedly nod to him, "I'm alive. That's what matters. Everything is just baggage, right? Agh, painful baggage."

"Dislocate your shoulder?" Kaidan points to my arm.

I nod again, "I think so."

"Garrus you go on ahead, we'll catch up." He nods and walks through the hall to where the rest of the team is, leaving Kaidan and I behind. "Come 'ere, let me see it."

"What are you gonna do? Kiss it, make it feel better?" I joke, wincing as he touches the arm.

He chuckles, "If only it were that easy." He pulls one of his gloves off and runs a bare hand over my shoulder, "I think it's just dislocated. Can't make a proper diagnosis until Doctor Chakwas has a look at you. But I don't think you tore any ligaments, so I think you'll be fine."

"Thank you, Doctor McDreamy. I appreciate the help."

"We just have to pop it back in, okay? Now hold still."

"Okay...Waitwaitwait!" I hastily interrupt.

"What?"

"Is it gonna hurt?"

He scoffs, "Only a little..."

I don't trust that little trail off at the end there.

"How much? Like on a scale of one to ten?"

"Mmmm, like a three."

I release a shaky breath, "Okay...that's not so bad."

"Don't worry," he begins in a relaxing tone of voice, "I'll count down to three with you, alright? And then I'll pop it back in."

My heart beats heavily in my chest, anticipating the blow as I exhale softly again.

"Okay...Do it."

"Alright, here we go. On three...1..."

Wait a minute. I know this trick!

But there was no chance to react. In one quick motion, I felt a deep crack as my shoulder reconnected with its socket and I murmured the word 'fuck' unconsciously loud.

"Agh, you liar!" I accuse him with a pointed finger.

He holds his hands up defensively, "You would have flinched if I went on three."

"So let me flinch, dammit!" I whine, "What kind of medic are you?"

He smiles and pats me on the back, "Quit whining, and try not to move your arm much until we get back to the ship." He beckons me to follow him, "Come on, let's go regroup with the others."

I walk behind him, seething as we enter the same room as everyone else. It looks like Shiala has already gotten out of the Thorian sack on the wall. They seem to have reached a pause in their conversation when Ash addresses us, "What's with the grouchy face?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that Kaidan is the worst doctor ever."

He laughs at this, "He's just upset that I had to pop his shoulder back in. He dislocated it."

"Thought I heard someone whining." Wrex muttered.

"I was not—!"

"Marcus." Shepard says, sternly. Yep, okay, shutting up now. She eyes Kaidan once before landing back on me, "This is Shiala. She served Matriarch Benezia before they both joined up with Saren."

I extend my hand out for a handshake, smiling as she grasps it, "Nice to meet you. You seem much nicer when you're purple and not green." I comment, jokingly.

She returns her hand and rubs her temple, "Yes, I apologize for that. I was aware, but I did not have any control over my actions. Being inside the Thorian's consciousness was...overwhelming, to say the least. My thoughts became nothing more than static on a broken channel. I hope you all can forgive me."

"Didn't realize it was that bad." I reply. I feel like an asshole for joking about it now, "I'm sorry."

"How'd you end up under its control, anyway?" Kaidan asks.

Shepard answers for her, "The Thorian had a Prothean cipher that could help Saren understand the vision from the beacon." Shepard gestures to the Asari, "So, Saren traded Shiala in order to get it."

"What does the Cipher do, exactly?" Kaidan continues to prod. He did miss the entire explanation because of me, so I can't really hold it against him.

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave your Commander visions." She begins, "But the visions are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, one must think like a Prothean. Understand their culture, their history, their very existence. Simply put, this Cipher will allow her to do that."

I nod my head in understanding, "Well, what the Thorian said earlier is starting to make sense now. It was kind of difficult to follow. Why couldn't it speak normally?"

"If you seek to learn about it's speech patterns, I don't know. The Thorian is a very old creature. It was here long before the Protheans built this city." She says, "I'm not sure how it's managed to survive all these years."

The question was more rhetorical, but whatever. We should get this conversation moving.

"So, with the Thorian dead, how are we supposed to get the Cipher?" I quiz.

Shepard turns to Shiala, waiting for an answer. I guess this is where we cut into their conversation.

Shiala rotates her hands in gesture, "The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing color to a creature without eyes. To understand, you must have access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations." She says. Did Shiala beat around the bush this much in the game? I'm not sure why I just remember her giving it to us after only four lines of dialogue.

"I sensed this ancestral memory-the Cipher-when I melded with the Thorian." She continues, "Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught; it simply exists." She looks Shepard in the eyes, "If you wish to receive the Cipher as well Commander, there is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren."

"That sounds good and all, but I think we're forgetting about one thing." Ashley interjects before waving her hand to me, "Marcus received some of the vision too."

Shiala raises a brow at this, "Was the beacon not destroyed after you used it, Commander?"

"It was," I answer before Shepard could speak, "When she was receiving the vision, I tried to pull her away. I thought she was in danger." I shrug before continuing, "But the moment I put my hand on her, it started flashing before my eyes."

"Fascinating." She says under her breath, "The physical contact must have transferred some of the information over. Split the message in two." She gestures to the both of us with each hand, "You are both two halves of one whole."

Shepard and I glance at each other, both of us puzzled. Sounds like Doctor Chakwas' observations were pretty accurate. Still, two halves of one whole?

"What does that mean?" Shepard asks, "Would you still be able to give us the Cipher?"

"Yes, Commander." She answers reluctantly, "It is possible for an Asari to meld with more than one individual at a time. But I'm afraid this adds a few complications."

"What kind of complications?" Garrus inquired next to me.

"While we can meld with more than one at a time, it is more commonly done among other Asari due to it being part of our physiology." She explains, "With other species, however, it's like trying to be in two rooms at once. In order for the message to become clear—even with the Cipher—you would both have to break down your metaphorical walls to each other, and have conjoining rooms."

I scratch my head with my good arm.

"What?" I ask, confused. "Conjoined rooms? I don't get it."

Liara answers, "She means you two would have to get to know each other. Well enough, to the point that your minds can tolerate being together."

Oh, that's...interesting. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect this to be an issue. If we need to meld together, does that mean she'd be able to see I'm not from here? Shit. I didn't think about any safeguards during the melding to hide my identity. How does it even work? In Mass Effect Three, when Liara melded with Shepard at the end, it was like a lucid type of thing, staring off into a bright light of some sort. Is it gonna be something like that?

My eyes meet Shepard's before she closes them shut and balls her fist. Not a second later, she reopens them, "We'll worry about that later. Shiala, could you give us the Cipher?"

She bows her head, "Of course, Commander. Would both of you please step forward?" We do as she says and stand side by side a few feet in front of her. "It would strengthen the connection if you two made physical contact."

Physical contact...?

My eyes corner their sockets until they find Shepard's. Before I could think of anything else to make the situation less awkward, I feel her take my hand. Forcefully, but not at all painful. Like she's just trying to get this over with. Couldn't stop the blush from spreading to my cheeks, though. How embarrassing.

Shiala smiles, "Try to relax. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that binds us, one to another." She steps forward, getting closer to us, "Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourselves to the universe..."

Here goes nothing.

"Embrace Eternity."

* * *

 **A/N:** **How's that for changing canon, huh? Now, because they both got one half of the vision, each time Liara has to meld with Shepard, Marcus must be a part of it. But as Shiala said, it's little more complicated now...We'll just have to see how it goes in the next chapter! ;)**

 **Okay, so there's been a little change of plans. I originally planned for this chapter to end Feros. But it was becoming quite a doozy in length with a lot of stuff happening (fighting the Thorian, the meld, and leaving Feros), so I just cut it here. It's my birthday this weekend so I know I won't have enough time to write all of it into this one chapter. But hey, quick update :) The next one will for sure be the end of Feros! Then we do the little arrangement that I mentioned in the last chapter.**

 **Classes are done for the semester, so despite work still being a pain in the neck, I'm going to do my best to try and post the next chapter by next weekend!**

 **Read and review ladies and gents! If you can :)**

 **Anyway, see you guys next time!**


	18. Promise Me

**A/N : My apologies for taking so long guys...**

 **A fair warning: I changed and added some things pertaining to the biology and lore of the Asari. You'll know it when you see it.**

 **Anyway, please read on, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 18: Promise Me

I clench my teeth hard as hundreds of images flash before my eyes, spinning around me in a globe like form. Hell, maybe its thousands, I can't really tell with how quick they're going. Like flipping through the pages of a book really fast, you know? You can see the words, but it's impossible to comprehend what it's trying to say. With each image comes a set of sounds, much like the Prothean vision does, only this is on a much larger scale. I'm not just hearing cries of agony and conflict. I'm hearing cries of joy, laughter, cars, familiar voices, phones ringing, video games—all of these coming at me in short echoes, brimming with stories behind them.

Despite not being able to tell what each one was, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what these are…

They're my memories.

I drop to my knees, clutching my head now from the force of it all. The tunes coming from the memories feel like an annoying static pumped up at full volume as it buries itself into my ear drums. For something that's supposed to be all in my head, it sure hurts a whole fucking lot! I cup my ears as an attempt to make it go away, but as expected, it does nothing. Jesus, I can barely hear myself think!

"How do I make it stop!?" I ask loudly to get it past the mental barriers of my head.

I open my eyes and see Shiala standing in front of me, an intense look painted on her face before she spoke, "Your memories are unchained and disorganized at the moment. They're running amok inside your brain."

"How do I make it stop!?" I ask again, through gritted teeth.

She kneels down so she's face level with me, "Think of a place you feel most comfortable being in. A happy place, if you will."

I close my eyes. A…happy place…?

…

Then just like that, the discordant noises that were resonating in my head seemingly vanished, as if someone hit the pause button and everything went silent. I cautiously began to open my eyes and while I was thankful to see I wasn't being surrounded by memories in a dark area anymore, I couldn't keep away the shock of seeing where I was now.

I felt my shoulders slump as my body relaxed and my eyes scanned everything. The 'L-shaped' desk planted in the corner of the room with two monitors stationed on top, along with a tower and PS4 hidden underneath by the desk chair. Various posters of different entertainment sources: Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Pokemon, Dead Space. All of them pinned against a solid green wall that circles the room, going behind the wardrobe in the opposite corner of where the desk is, as well as even painting the interiors of the closet next to it. There was no doubt about it.

I'm in my bedroom back home.

My god, it looks just like it did when I left, only more organized. I place a hand on top of my chair, running my fingers across the seams where the two sides of pleather join. The texture feels familiar, but also kind of fake in a way I can't describe. Maybe because it's pleather and not leather, genius…I shake my head, taking a breath as I realize I'm not taking full advantage of my lungs. Sitting down on my bed, I could hear the loose headboard tap against the wall due to my weight making the bed buckle slightly.

For a small moment I found myself overjoyed, indulging in the sunlight beaming through the open cracks of the curtains covering the windows. All of this, maybe it was all just a dream…Dropping into another planet in the future, a fictional one created by game developers nonetheless, and going on an adventure with one of my gaming heroes. God that is one wacky ass dream if you ask me. Might make for one helluva story though...My friends would never believe me, but my mom might find it interesting. Maybe I'll tell her about it over some coffee.

…

I exhale a shaky sigh and my eyes began to heat up, as the realist in me escorts the optimist off the premises.

This isn't real. This chair isn't real. The bed isn't real. The sunlight that hasn't warmed my face in the slightest, isn't real either. I bow my head down in disappointment, noting the clothes I was wearing for the Feros mission has changed to my usual 'stay-at-home' clothes: black sweatpants and a grey tee. Even this shit isn't real…

After releasing another heavy sigh, I shot myself up off the bed and stood on my feet. Staying here moping in my head wouldn't do me any good right now. As much as I'd rather curl up in the sheets of my bed, I'm still not sure how this melding works.

Can Shiala even see all of this right now? If she can, I'd imagine she has a lot of questions. I'm not sure how my room differs from that of future…err, modern people, but I think I'd be at least a little suspicious in her shoes.

"Shiala, are you still there?" I question the air, searching for her.

"I am here." She replies.

"Can you see my…" I trail off. Should I say it's my bedroom? Eh, it doesn't matter right? It's not like there's anything here that gives away my secret. Aside from the 170 year old computer just sitting in the corner of the room…Mm, maybe I'll play it safe for now…

"…uh, happy place?" I finish.

"No. We can communicate intangibly, but I am unable to enter until you let me in." She explains.

Let her in? My eyes migrate over to the door of my room.

"So I just have to…open the door for you?"

"Correct."

I saunter over and grip the doorknob, peeking back to the computer before pressing my lips into a tight line. I'm sure I can bullshit a reasoning for that, it's worked well for me so far. Besides, it's only Shiala that has to see it, right? I should probably ask.

"Is Shepard out there too?" God this feels weird.

"She is not. Commander Shepard is currently in her own happy place." She replies.

"Alright, you can come in, but please be mindful about what you need to see. I don't know how melding works, but this is not a free ticket to parade around in my brain, okay?" I twist the knob and pull the door open, which startles me slightly as I expected to see the hallway of my house for a second there.

Shiala chuckles, "I have been trying to get the Commander to open her door, but she seems hesitant to let you in as well." I stare at the Asari, not really knowing what to say. Can you really blame her? It's exceptionally rare in the games for Shepard to reveal anything about themselves at all, unless it came to the mission I guess.

I usher Shiala inside and her eyes immediately flick back and forth to the things around my room. "Your 'happy place' is very interesting. Is this...your bedroom?" She asks, as she gestures to the bed.

Nodding my head, I cross my arms, "It's my room back at home. I'm into a lot of old retro stuff, entertainment-wise, anyway." I took a step forward. "You'd be surprised by the amount of stuff you can find on the extranet for a cheap price."

She turns to her side and ogles the poster pinned on the wall next to the TV, "What is this? It looks like some kind of map?"

I stand next to her, "Very perceptive." I comment sarcastically out of habit, but it doesn't seem like she took offense to it, so I answer properly after clearing my throat, "That's a map based off a fictional world, one that takes place in a series of old books, called Game of Thrones."

She puts a hand underneath her chin, "Fascinating. Was it well-received?"

I laugh, "Oh, it was very well-received. It was complemented for doing certain things other stories had never done at the time."

"Ah." She acknowledges before rubbing her hand on the top of the closest computer monitor, "Forgive me, I'm not usually so bold when melding with strangers."

"You make it seem like you do this often." I comment, leaning back on one foot.

She nods, "Because I do...or did. Working under Benezia, I was something of a courier."

A courier? "You delivered messages?" I ask, interestingly.

"Of a sort." She replies, "Lady Benezia is a very esteemed Matriarch among the Asari, lovingly known for her wisdom and knowledge of the galaxy, which of course would make her council well sought out." She chuckles, "Even the councilwoman would ask for her advice from time to time."

That's certainly intriguing. You hear praise about Benezia from time to time in the games but not on this type of level.

"Anyhow, I was chosen to be Lady Benezia's Third. I'd go with her to meetings and more often than not, melding would be a quick way to sort information with her."

"So being a Third means you were her secretary?"

Shiala continues, "I suppose you could say that, but it was more than just relaying messages. There a few thousand Asari's who excel at melding more than others. Ones who can heal with a deft touch of personalities. I am one of those. It is in fact one of the reasons Benezia thought it best I came with her to join Saren."

That is so freaking cool, why is this never mentioned in the games? "How do you mean heal them? Like physical-mental-therapy?"

She smiles, "That is a fitting explanation. For example: Asari are naturally born biotic, but that does not mean it's impossible to push their own limits. More often than not, it occurs when trying to protect a friend or loved one. Those that do undergo a state of Alerna." I must have made a confused face or something, "Roughly translated, that's: 'Guardian Angel'; for those who go through it suffer from noxious side effects of their biotic nature, leaving their mental capacity broken into pieces."

"That's amazing...I mean, it sucks to be on the receiving end, sure, but I had no idea the Asari were capable of such a thing! So then, you would meld with them and fix the pieces back together, make them good as new." I assume, attempting to connect the dots.

"Not good as new, unfortunately." She admits, "It would take a lot of time to try to explain, time I'm afraid we don't have. But in short, the most one like me could do for the person is put them back into normal society again. Their biotics would be no stronger than that of a child's afterward. It is the epitome of a double-edged sword."

"Yeah, well, only losing your biotics sure as hell beats the alternative." I point out.

"I agree." She nods again and smiles, "So, as I was saying, when I meld with strangers I don't usually tend to look around unless it was necessary, but in here...Something feels different. Other worldly..."

I gulp hard before she continues, "Though perhaps it is because you are human, and I've never melded with two at the same time before. But both your's and Commander Shepard's minds feel significantly different. Yours is warm, fluid, and kind in many ways. The Commander's is...well, that is for you to find out I suppose."

I put a hand up in front before she can make anymore inclinations, "Listen, I'm sorry if it's discourteous of me, but I think it's be best if we get this done so I can get out of this."

She nods her head in understanding, "Of course." She says switching back to business, "We just need to find your link."

I tilt my head at her, "My...link?"

"Yes, the link that allows you to navigate your memories." She explains, "If I were to guess, I'd say it's your computer here in the corner."

I move past her and sit in the computer chair, "What makes you say that?"

Just as my butt hits the seat, my monitor blinks to life, displaying one file after another. The starting image of a memory plastered on the front of them all. So each file must be a different memory. Huh…It reminds me of Heavy Rain, when you get the video footage of the Origami Killer at the club. No, yeah it looks exactly like that.

"Now we search for the memory of the Prothean vision." She points to the mouse, "I believe you can use that to scroll through them?"

I look up at the Asari and then down to my mouse, cupping it under my hand. I nudge my index finger down the mouse wheel, and it scrolls down three files of memories. This doesn't seem so hard to navigate, hell it's like using my computer again! Technically it is, but this is in my head, so it's not real, even though it feels so fucking lucid it blows my mind. Shit, melding is like being in Inception.

After about fifteen scrolls down memory lane (haha), I spot the image of a Prothean being mutilated against a rock. Only it's not a rock, it's something that was stripping pieces of them off, like a vacuum sucking away their being. I think I preferred it more when it was just flashing through quickly...

"Found it." I announce, "Now what?"

Shiala puts her hand on my shoulder, "Open it."

I double click on the file and found myself somewhere else, in the center of a gruesome battle as the vision came flaunting before my eyes. One by one I could see them dying, helpless against the might and terror that is the Reapers. Explosions rocking the ground as if the planet itself was going to collapse beneath my feet, until finally the scene pulls out and I could see the planet once more, with the same child like figure I couldn't recognize holding the world in the palm of their hands.

Once the experience was over, I found my self back in my room, taking deep breaths as my face almost hit the keyboard in front of me.

"It is done." She informs me, "I have finished with the Commander as well. Though as I said before, it won't do any good unless you both trust each other implicitly."

Pushing myself away from the desk, I lift up out of the chair, "Guess we'll have to work on that with Liara."

"Indeed." She bows her head to me but still keeps eye contact, "I shall see you on the outside, Marcus."

I smile back at her, "Definitely. Is there anything I'm supposed to—?"

* * *

My eyes flutter open with my senses all regaining their information. On top of the unsettling feeling I've gained from the Cipher, the decrepit smell from the tower and remains of the Thorian once again make itself known. The fire in the corner cracking, the pink face of Shiala in front of me, and the touch of Shepard's hand all pulls me back into reality. I immediately let go of her hand (she doesn't seem to mind much) and Shiala opens her mouth to speak.

"I have given you both the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren." She notes, "The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."

Kaidan's raspy voice comes from behind me, "You two feeling okay? What did you see?."

Shepard swipes the back of her hand across her brow, "I saw...something. It still didn't make any sense."

"Same here," I add, "Almost exactly like last time, just...a little slower, I guess? Still one hell of an experience, though."

"You have been given a great gift," Shiala tells Shepard and I, "The experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process this information."

"You guys look a little queasy," Ash points out from my five o' clock, "We should get you back to the ship."

Shiala inhales through her nose, "I'm sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you two understand the vision from the beacon. Just remember, it's decryption also depends on your willingness to do so."

In that last part, she specifically pointed her eyes at me and held it there for a moment, before glancing at Shepard. Alright, Shiala I get it...Now, how do I lie about something I can't lie about?

Shepard speaks with her hand, "Now that you're free of the Thorian, what are going to do next?"

Shiala's demeanor changes to a less professional tone, something more sincere, "If you allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists. They have suffered greatly, and I played a role in their suffering. I would like to make amends."

Talk about being perfect for a situation! Now that I know what Shiala can do, this seems like the obvious place for her to be. Unless that mind mending stuff only pertains to biotics and Asari...Eh, who knows? Either way, she'll be a positive addition to rebuilding the colony.

"The colonists will need all the help they can get." Shepard says, taking the paragon option as I expected, "They'll be happy to have you on their side."

"Thank you, Commander." She bows her head and glances at me, and then to the rest of us, "May fortune smile upon you all."

* * *

So with the Thorian and Geth seemingly defeated, we began making our way to the exit. Unlike in the game, Shepard goes above and beyond with helping the colony, after she radioed Joker the all clear and ordered to have some emergency supplies sent over from the Normandy, as well as crewmen to tend to the colonists of Zhu's Hope. So once we made it out of the Thorian's lair, the small settlement was brimming with activity. Most of the colonists were starting to wake up from the gas grenades and the team sort of split up to different things.

Shepard was approached by Fai Dan and Juliana and I think that's when she decided to introduce Shiala to them. With Fai Dan also being alive, the three of them are going to make one heck of a team at rebuilding this place. Kaidan went to check on any wounded on the off chance that their own doctor still wasn't feeling well. He hasn't come back yet so I'm assuming that to be the case. Garrus and Tali are off assisting with any technical repairs still needed for the colony to function properly. Something might have taken some damage after the creepers showed up in that last attack or something. Ashley was helping the crew of the Normandy, setting down supplies and making sure it all stayed organized. Wrex went back to the ship and...well yeah, that's pretty much that.

I wanted to go with Ash and help set things down, but I can barely move my left arm without feeling at least a little bit of pain, so I've just been standing by the freighter, watching everyone like you would at a park for the next ten minutes. Through all the traffic I find Liara, speaking with whom I believe is Lizbeth. It looks a lot like her anyway. I watch them converse back and forth until I manage to spot a small figure in the corner of the crowd, making their way to the medical portion of the freighter.

It's Ben.

I jog over to him, sifting my way through the small crowd until I reached the door, with Liara falling in step next to me. She must have noticed him too then. Either way, we enter through the freighter door behind him, greeting us with a hiss as we step inside. The boy knew where to look, frantically heading straight for the left door at the end of the hall, avoiding anyone that was stagnant in the hall itself. We mimicked his movements as best we could with the size difference and then turned into the clinical room, where we found Shepard and Kaidan close to Ben. Shepard must have finished speaking to Fai Dan and them, and then came to see how the injured were doing. She really is quite the person… Anyway, the three were standing over a man with hair resembling Ben's, except more faded and worn out, laying down on a cot.

Ben was distraught which prompted Liara and I to share a glance as a guilty feeling pimpled my skin with goosebumps. Don't tell me he…

In that moment, the man's eyes lazily opened, blinking once or twice before managing to keep them open for good.

"Dad?" Ben whispered hoarsely, with tears on the edge of falling.

The man smiled big like a fool and whispered back, "Benny…"

Ben, or Benny, since that's his full name I guess, attacks him in a bear hug, "Dad! You're alive! You're alive! Don't scare me like that again!"

Now I felt myself smiling like a big fool. It was just so nice to see him reunited with his dad, it's the only thing he wanted and risked his own life to ensure that happened.

His father ruffled his hair, his words soothing, "I'm so sorry, Benny. I promise, I won't ever do it again." He looks up at the two Alliance marines, and then to Liara and I, "Are you guys the Alliance?" Shepard nods smiling, "I can't thank you enough. I—hell, this entire colony, would have been doomed if you hadn't showed up. Is it safe to assume the Geth didn't give you much trouble?" He chuckles wryly.

I cross my arms, "The Geth? Nah, only to a certain extent. There were other…complications that became the real trouble, though."

Ben's dad stared at me with a knowing look and I refused to pull my eyes away. He needs to know that we know he was a part of this. Neither of us broke eye contact for like five seconds until Ben decided to have the honor.

"Don't give them all the credit, it was me who found out how to fix you." He stated with glee, which isn't fully the truth, but I won't take it away from him, "I went back to Irridom to look for the solution you said you were working on, and I even managed to get back mom's necklace!" He pulls the charm around his neck and flaunts it to his father.

Unfortunately, his facial expression didn't show any sign of praise, only distress, "You what!? How could you go back to Irridom, you know how dangerous it is!"

Ben's shoulders slumped like a wounded dog, but his voice remained steady, "You weren't feeling well and no one knew how to help you, what was I supposed to do?" He turned back to Liara and me and stepped next to us, "Besides, I wasn't alone, I had my friends there to help me. This is Marcus and Liara." His smile turned into a giant grin, "Dad it was such an adventure! After we got back to the house, we were attacked by these green zombie things, and then we passed through the broken tower by the docking port, where we saved their ship from being under attack by even more of those monsters!" He peaked his head at me and then switched it back to his father, his voice sounding giddier with each word, "Oh, you have to see their ship, Dad! It. Is. Awesome!"

The man was speechless as he gawked at his son. With Ben finally catching his breath I decided to speak up, "Ben did a great job during all this. He was very brave and got us three out of some very difficult situations."

He looked at his son after that, "…Come here." He opened his arms, "How did I end up with such an amazing kid?"

Ben laughed and accepted the hug, resting his head on his shoulder. Only for a few seconds though, because he yanks himself back off the cot and on his feet. He shyly side-glances at Liara with a blush and rubs the back of his head. He doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of her, that's adorable that he has a crush on Liara. I mean, who wouldn't?

Eh…I'd hate to ruin these happy times, but it's gotta be done…I whisper to Liara, "We need to talk to him about those files on his computer, think you can distract Ben for five minutes?"

"I'll do my best." She replies with a nod before placing a hand on Ben's back, "Ben, I am sure your father would like a drink of water. How about we go get him some?"

The boy beamed, "Okay! I'll be right back, dad." He yells out as he exits the room with Liara.

After a few seconds of silence, I put all my weight on one foot, shifting my balance as I spoke, "I'm…sure you know what this is about." I infer.

He sighs tiredly, "Yes. After Benny mentioned you went through my computer to find the solution to the sickness problem, I assumed this was going to come next." Inhaling deeply through his nose and then exhaling quickly through his mouth, "Well, I suppose introductions are in order then. My name is Richard Langston. And if you were able to defeat the Geth, it means you've already visited the ExoGeni headquarters. So, I'm not sure what else I can tell you that you don't know already."

"Your son is a bright kid, very smart and about as stubborn as they come." I praise, which makes him snicker to himself, "He speaks very highly of you, about how good you are, so I have to ask: why are you involved with all of this?"

"You may not believe me when I say this, but ExoGeni was a good company, solely focused on the betterment of colonies for Humanity. We had good intentions, it wasn't always like this." He says.

"I find that hard to believe," Shepard comments, "Your superiors contacted one of your scientists and ordered to have the tower purged of any evidence that links them to the Thorian."

"They tried to jump ship," He mumbles quietly, "I'm not surprised after things got as bad as they did. Like I said, ExoGeni _was_ a good company, and even though their motive remains the same, they turned their focus onto different methods to benefit humanity."

"Why the sudden change? It's a pretty big leap to go from colonization to bio-organic warfare." Kaidan inquires.

"I, uh, think it had something to do with the company partnering up with another Pro-human group. An organization called Cerberus."

So ExoGeni partnered up with Cerberus? Guess this explains that side quest…

"Cerberus? So they're responsible for all this?" Shepard asks.

He scrunches his nose, "It'd be unfair to pin all of the blame on them, ExoGeni could have refused or stopped anytime they wanted to. Besides, it was only this cell of ExoGeni that linked up with them. The Thorian possessed very powerful abilities and we thought it would prove useful for negotiations and warfare. We were trying to find a way to end conflict before it could even begin, and if not that, we wouldn't have to throw away a person's life in some meaningless war."

"And the negative side effects it was having on the Colonists?" Shepard crossed her arms, "That didn't matter to you at all?"

"Of course it mattered," He argued, "but it was the only way for us to get field data on what it could actually do."

Jesus Christ, is this guy even listening to himself? No field data is worth it if it puts innocent lives at stake like this. No matter how admirable the motive may be.

"How many had to suffer and get killed over your precious field data?" Shepard snarls.

He slumps his shoulders, "No one anticipated the Geth showing up. In a way, I'm grateful that they did. Because after being under its control myself, no amount of data for an unstable weapon is worth all of this." He waves his hand at the air around him. "I'm glad you guys killed the damned thing. God, I can still feel it in my head now…"

"What do you plan on doing now?" Kaidan asks, "After what you just said, I can't imagine you'd be going back ExoGeni."

"Assuming I'm lucky enough that you guys don't arrest me? Turn in my resignation and just focus on getting this colony back in working order. Doubt they'll like that very much, but that'd be for me to worry about." He answers. Does that mean he and Ben could still be in danger? "Much as I hate this broken dust ball of a home, it's still home nonetheless."

Shepard doesn't appear to be convinced, "How can I be sure of that? What's to stop you from reporting to your bosses and jumping right back into work?"

He frowns, "My son almost died because of this fucking mess, because of me!" He looks at me, "Did you happen to download the files off my laptop in Irridom? All of them?" I nod, "Good. Those files contain a great amount of information regarding various projects being worked on in ExoGeni. And you should also know I sent a few samples of Thorian tissue out to a small cell working in an uncharted world, I can't remember the name at the moment but it's in the file. You go over there, take them out, and then you'll only have that Cerberus group to deal with. Is that enough?" He asks almost pleadingly.

I look to Shepard who glances at Kaidan and then at me. I bow my head once to show her I believe it's enough to let him free. It's more than most of the other guilty scientists have done. Besides, if this man really is that smart, they're gonna need his help rebuilding Feros.

Finally, Shepard speaks, "Alright, fine. You're off the hook."

He sighs in relief, "Thank you, Commander. I am in your debt."

"Just make sure you do everything you can to get this colony running again. You owe them that."

"A lot more than that." I add.

"Yes, of course." He agrees, "I'll work with Fai Dan and do everything in my power to help."

* * *

After an awkward stretch of using only one arm, I yawn obnoxiously. The Normandy crew was making their way back to the ship. Most everyone was already on board I think after getting everything settled, but I'm walking there now with Liara and Kaidan. Ben is with us too—he wanted to see us off.

"Oh man, I can't wait to take a shower." I said after yawning and slumping my shoulders.

"Yeah, you desperately need one." Ben commented with a pinched nose.

I shook my head, about to reply until Kaidan spoke first, "That smell is you? I was wondering why it felt like the Thorian never left."

"Hardy fuckin' har, guys." I retort, "I don't see you covered in layers of plant shit. So keep your comments to yourselves, alright? Imagine how I feel!" Like an absolute mess, with soreness being felt everywhere, and a nasty headache that just refuses to leave.

"It is not that bad…" Liara lies. Trust me. I know how I smell. It's a lie.

"It's okay, Liara, I know I stink right now...But thanks for trying." I say, dryly.

After a few more minutes of walking on the path, we arrive at the docking port and Liara, Ben and I stop in place, with Kaidan turning to me.

"Don't take too long okay?" He tells me. I nod to him before he smiles and turns on his heels towards the Normandy.

Ben grabs his elbow with his other arm, looking away from us as he spoke, "So…I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." I answer simply, "But it's not goodbye forever."

His eyes blink up to ours, "It's not? Don't you guys have more people to save?"

"Of course, but that doesn't mean we'll be gone forever." I tell him, "We're friends now. Get that memorized, alright? So whenever you need our help, just give us a call, and we'll come running." I'm trying my best to not make it sound like some after school special, but I want him to know that he's not alone. He just lost most, if not all of his other friends here…Besides, I'm sure Shepard isn't one to turn down someone in need of help, let alone a kid.

Ben smiled just as Liara decided to speak, "You have our contact information. If you feel the need to speak to one of us, please do not hesitate to send a message."

The boy's cheeks turned into a rosy pink for a split second before nodding his head fiercely, "Thank you, guys. And I promise, I'll do my best to help put the colony back together! I'm really gonna miss you…"

I smiled, "We'll miss you too, Ben."

He narrowed his eyes, still smiling, "Who said anything about you, loser? I was talking about Liara."

I slumped my shoulders and glared at him. Okay, if he wants to play it like that…I kneel in closer to him so Liara couldn't hear, "You're saying that 'cause you got a little crush on her don't you?" I tease him.

His face turns an even brighter red before he grasps a handful of my shirt and shoves me back, giving me a full whiff of his breath as he exhaled. Somebody clearly hasn't brushed their teeth in a while…

The push wasn't as strong as I assume he wanted it to be and I just stood up straight.

"You be sure to watch her back while you're out there, alright?" He yells at me, "Otherwise, next time I see you I'm going to kick your ass!"

Liara was taken aback by how brash he was being, but we both smiled nonetheless.

I crossed my arms, "Wouldn't want that to happen." I chuckled before throwing away my smile, "But I want you to promise me something too now, Ben. I meant what I said before. If you feel like you or your dad are getting into a dangerous situation, even remotely. Promise me, you'll tell us right away."

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but after what his Father said about ExoGeni, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

"Why?" He snorts, "You've already seen that I can take care of myself. And with my dad around, I've got nothing to worry about."

"I'm serious, Ben." I deadpan, "Promise me."

He looked at me up and down for a second before sighing and extended a hand with his pinky finger poking out. Been a while since I've done this, it feels very childish but, what the hell?

I wrap my own pinky finger around his and we shook.

"I promise."

* * *

 **A/N** **: Wooh! Finally done with Feros, THANK THE FUCKING LORD! Now we can move on to better, more colorful events and environments :D**

 **Hopefully, y'all like the little lore additions I made for the Asari? I always felt like the Asari are too genetically perfect, you know? Ardat-yakshi's are pretty much the only bad thing going for them, and they never have any consequences to their biotics like other species' do (via implants), so I wanted to give them some weaknesses too. Because they're naturally biotic, this seemed like the best way to do it. Ah well, let me know what you think of it :)**

 **Now that this chapter is finished, I'll be doing as I said before in the last two chapters: working on my other story, but still posting with every few chapters or so. I'll try my best to not take so long with finishing the first act of the other story, but I cannot make any promises on the chance that life decides it wants to be difficult again. -_-**

 **Anyway, until next time, see ya!**


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